My Skincare Regimen For This Acne Prone Skin

Ok so if you are over 21 like me I bet you thought the days of acne were over right?  Well I was highly mistaken! Don't get me wrong, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be but if I skip a day of not using some type of product with benzyl peroxide or salicylic acid, my skin freaks out.  So I went on a search to find something more natural and not as harsh to use on my skin. It'll also help my pockets too ;-)

I found that there are products right in my pantry that would do the trick:

Oatmeal: It contains saponins, a cleansing agent so can be used as a facial cleanser.  It is really moisturizing and helps remove dead skin cells.  Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and is perfect for most skin types, which is perfect for calming down active breakouts.  And of course it aids in treating acne, eczema, and rosacea!  

How I use it:  Just throw some in a blender then mix with a little water, gently rub into your face & let sit for a few minutes.  Then rinse with warm water.

Sodium Bicarbonate or Baking Soda (as I like to call it :-)):  It soothes the skin while it gently cleanses and is great for cleaning pores and removing excess facial oil. It's great at exfoliating the skin. Baking soda for acne helps get rid of the acidic pH in which the acne bacteria thrive. 
How I use it:  Mix a tbsp with your favorite mild cleanser ( I use cetaphil), massage into your skin and rinse

Finally my favorite of them all is HONEY:  Honey's natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays, supports the skin's ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin, leaving it feeling silky, soft, and supple.  Honey absorbs impurities from the pores on the skin, making it an ideal cleansing agent. The anti-microbial properties also make it great for getting rid of that dreaded acne bacteria.

How I use it:  Simply just put some in the palm of your hand rub together and then just massage your face with it!

I would love to know what you use to treat your acne! Please share! xoxo

Shantae

Mommy Fashion or Lack Thereof lol...

When we become moms, some of us get so focused on planning meals, homework help, and grocery shopping that we kinda allow ourselves to fade into the background...believe me, I know!  As much as I loved  shoes and getting "cute", I just didn't feel up to it.

Mommy fashion for me consisted of tshirts, baggy jeans, and hoodies.  After a while I got tired of the same ol' same and looked for ways to spice up my wardrobe while staying confy.

Some staples for me include:

Leggings: See what leggings look like here

By mixing and matching colors and choosing the right shoes, leggings can be worn in any season.  Your leggings should be tight enough to snugly cover your legs, but not so tight that people can see every dimple in your legs. Make sure that they aren't so loose that they start to bunch over your legs, that is not what's hot!  Jeggings are also comfy and can help spice up an ordinary outfit.  While leggings and a top that falls to your waist is a big no-no, you can pair a short shirt with jeggings.  See jeggings here

Tunics:  what's a tunic?

Pair your tunic with "skinny" jeans, leggings, shorts or a skirt.  Accentuate the tunic's shape by wearing a belt at the waist.  Check the hem length of your tunic before you decide how to wear it. Shorter tunics do not make good dresses and sometimes cannot go with shorts. More fun ways to wear your tunic

Maxi Dresses:  click here for an example
Maxi dresses are long and loose, so you never feel self conscious or uncomfortable when wearing them.  These dresses cling to all the right places up top and are more free flowing towards the belly, which in turn makes the Maxi dress flattering on just about everybody.  The Maxi dress can be transitioned into fall wear easily, with some extra layering pieces.  Some people seem to think that a maxi dresses are for formal or dressy occasions but maxis have come to be very stylish and comfy.  Maxi dresses are my fave!   

I have a few more faves but this post is getting longer than I want it to be so we'll save that for another day!

Know that we are all beautifully made! Bye y'all! ;-)

Here I go again...

Well...it's been a while since I've written anything.  A whirlwind of events have taken place and I so was not focusing on blogging...or anything for that matter.  Part of the reason is because I relocated 6 months sooner than what was planned because of my old slumlord and another reason being that I have been wrecking my brain trying to decide what the heck to even blog about.  When I initially started this blog, I didn't even really know what a blog was supposed to be for.  A friend said, "you should start a blog" I thought "hmm, ok" and so I did start but did absolutely nothing with it...lol...

I have decided that I want to share with the world how this stay at home mommy is trying to rediscover herself, while trying to kick start a career.  I think I got lost along this journey of life once I replenished this earth with three beautiful babies but I'm back baby!  My love for fashion, fitness, family and food will make this blog pretty interesting but please bare with me as I figure all of this out.  I'm a mommy on a mission to occupy my time with stuff other than playdates, and couponing.  So stay tuned, this ought to be pretty interesting as I don't even know what to expect...

Leading by example

The hardest thing about being a mom to me is raising my little girl in today's society.  With all these images around of what beauty is, I have to do my best to make sure she understands that everything about her is unique and that is what makes her beautiful.  I love make up and all things fashion and I don't want her to get that confused with thinking that she needs a full face of make up or a dope outfit to be "beautiful". I used to hate thinking about this from a race point of view but the reality is we are black and some of the issues that come along with being black have to be addressed.  We live in a predominately white area so there aren't many kids in her class that "look like her".  When I decided to stop straightening her hair and letting her rock her natural, it was a little difficult for her at first because all the girls in her class had long straight hair and she didn't want to be different.  So lesson #1 for my 7 year old was that there is nothing wrong with being different and that being different is what makes her unique.  At one point, she hated when people would draw attention to how big her eyes were and sometimes she would cry.  So once again, we had to have a talk about one more thing that made her very unique.  Tackling these things at this age was scary at first because I couldn't believe that a child this young is already having issues with their "image". But the good thing is that this is being instilled in her at an early age so nobody can come in and tell her otherwise.  I want her to know that there is no real image of beauty.  Giving her those pep talks helped me realize some things about myself as well.  Being darker skinned or a woman of color bothered me for a long time.  I had certain people that were close to me in my ear at a very young age that insinuated that black=ugly and light=beauty, straight hair=good hair and nappy hair=not so good hair.  At 28, I'm almost comfortable in my skin.  I have to be honest, I still have flaws that I am trying to  accept and embrace as apart of my uniqueness. I think as I continue to build up my daughter, it is helping me with my own.  Leading by example is the name of the game. I can't tell my baby to embrace her uniqueness if I'm not doing the same because eventually she's going to notice because of course, kids, especially nosy little girls, notice everything! lol

My Mommy Makeover

For year, I have been focused so much on being the perfect mother to my kids and making sure all their needs were met that I had forgotten about all the "needs" that I had that went unmet.  I am undeniably a wife and a mother but there is more to this woman than laundry, pot roasts, and dusting.  I was a stay at home mom for several years and in those several years, I have come to the conclusion that being at home all day with my babies is not my style!  In no way am I saying that I need to neglect my duties as a mom and have my 3, 5, and 7 year old fend for themselves.  What I am saying is that it is time to carve out time for me.  Time for me to just be with me and nurture the things that I love/have passion for.  I enjoy going to the gym and learning more about how my body works.  I love going to my closet to figure out how many different outfits I can put together.  Eventually, I would like to share what I have learned with other mamas like me.  I can't parent effectively if I feel like I'm wasting away. As a mommy, I have to hold on to some things that make me, me (a unique individual). I have to realize that contrary to what the old school mamas may think, I am more than just somebodies mama.  I am a woman with visions, goals, and dreams.  I can't push my babies to go after their dreams if I am not doing the same. We gotta lead by example.  So alongside my road to self discovery, this mommy is getting a makeover! I'm tearing apart what the image of an ideal mommy is and reinventing this mommy for not only what works for this family but for what works for myself as well.  I'm a mommy on a mission!

On the road to rediscovery...

It has been a loooonnngg time since I have written on this blog but after cutting all my hair one month and one week ago, I decided that I have reason to write again.  I had been struggling with the decision to "go natural" for well over a year but I just couldn't decide.  Plus I loved my hair cut & color.  My hair was healthy so why mess with a good thing?  But for me I think it went deeper than just cutting relaxed ends off of my hair.  For me it is about self discovery, appreciating the Me that God created, flaws and all.  As I have said in a previous post, growing up was no walk in the park.  I had many insecurities about my the color of my skin and my weight and then eye glasses were thrown into the mix.  Not that I was overweight...far from that...but I was underweight.  I went into my high school years not even weight 100 lbs.  All around me were these girls that were filled out and there I was... a deflated balloon...All I cared about was what people thought about Shantae because to me their opinion shaped who I was.  If someone said I was funny looking, then I thought I was funny looking. Oh and when I got a compliment, that would make my day but I always had the negative comments in the back of my head.

Leaving high school and on to college wasn't a huge difference for me.  I had gained about 15 lbs so I was weighing in at a whopping 115 lbs!  I was a little  more comfortable in my own skin but not really.  I had been getting more frequent compliments so I started to think a little more about myself.  But the one compliment that to this day rubs me the wrong is "you are really pretty to be dark skin".  So are you  insinuating that darker skins are normally unattractive?  Anywho, I continued to live life with security issues but didn't accept this fact until about 5 years ago.  I would look in the mirror and wonder "would someone find this attractive?"  that question fueled how I dressed, how I did my hair, and if I ripped a contact lens that would just end all because that meant wearing my dreadful glasses.

Fast forward five years, I am 28 years old, have been married for seven years and am the mother of three children.  Wanna know something funny?...The weight that I longed to have when I was 115 lbs, I now have but up until recently was trying so hard to get rid of.  It took me to actually see pictures of myself then and now to realize that I don't need to change a thing, well I sure could tone everything up.  But at 147 lbs, why am I trying to lose 20 lbs? (I remember when I was trying to gain 20 lbs) Is it because that's what I want or that's what I think people want to see?  This is what I have to ask myself.  Because if it is the latter, then I need to refocus.  We must develop the "this is me, take me as I am" attitude.  Now I feel like as long as I know I look good in my clothes, I am happy with my weight.  But you will never see me past 150 lbs! Ever!!

When it came to cutting my hair, I had been constantly thinking about it more and more.  I researched taking care of natural hair, and watched plenty of tutorial on how to do it.  So one day, I didn't turn back.  I washed my hair, looked in the mirror for a few seconds and reached for the scissors (no I do not know how to do hair lol).  I cut way more than I wanted to but thankfully the hubby fixed it and there was no turning back.  It was all gone.  No matter how long I looked in the mirror the image would remain the same.  I got many compliments but still questioned if I had made the right decision but you know what?, it's just hair, it will eventually grow back.  In the mean time, I will be on this journey of rediscovery.  Getting to know me, outside of the opinion of others.  Outside of what society thinks.  To do what makes ME happy!

I know this post is lengthy but hopefully somebody somewhere will see something in my words that will put them on their own path to self discovery.  It is hard nowadays because everyone seems to have an opinion but I think with the strength that only God can give, we can overcome.  We will overcome, as long as we choose to fight!

Continue to follow my personal journey to rediscovery and mission to redefine "beauty".  It's gonna be a long bumpy road ahead so fasten your seat belts and stay tuned...

To Look in the mirror and like what you see...

Looking through magazines, all we see are these beautiful tall and slender women.  We see how cute their bodies look in the clothing and we begin to desire to look like them.  Now as you're on the tread mill, you have that image in your mind, hoping to get your body to look like that body in the magazine.  But what we fail to realize is that we cannot always believe what we see.  Photos are retouched.  Models wear body shapers, push up bras, they can also tape their clothes in place.  No one is perfect but with the help of some products out there, we can always portray perfection.

As you should already know whether you are 125 lbs, 225 lbs, or 325 lbs, you are all beautiful.   We should not strive to be a certain size yet strive to be healthy.  Remember there is a such thing as being under weight and not all skinny people are healthy.

There are a few tricks that I want to share that will help to accentuate what you already have.  The first thing is make-up. Make-up can be used to enhance certain features of your face.  If you have a facial feature that you like the most, make the most of it.  I love my eyes so I make sure that I flatter them.  If you don't like make-up, start off with it being more natural.  For tips on applying make-up that looks natural, check out youtube.

The next trick is body shapers. My favorite body shaper is the Squeem Magical Lingerie. This is not the typical body shaper or girdle.  Once it's on, your waist is instantly smaller, showing off your beautiful curves.  With this particular body shaper, if you wear it daily you can lose up to 4 inches in one month.

I am always finding new ways to reinvent myself.  Wigs are a great way to do that and they are also a great go-to for bad hair days.  They are making them to look more like your own hair so you don't have to be embarrassed about wearing it because no one will know that you are wearing one.

Whatever you do, don't do something to make yourself  beautiful but do it to enhance your beauty.  If you don't think that you're beautiful no one else will.  Remember that you are beautiful and no one can beat you at being you!