Starting A Sugar Detox In 2012

Hello Divas!

After trying numerous diets and failing miserably at them I decided to do a little more research into why I was not losing weight like I wanted to.

I found something in a magazine that suggested I might be addicted to sugar and that might be one of the underlying reasons (apart from not exercising enough) that I was not achieving my goals.

I used to think that I was prediabetic because I would wake up RAVENOUS. I swear I would be so hungry and irritable in the morning you would think that I had not eaten in days. Even if I ate late at night I would still wake up hungry and angry and so I would get myself tested.

I turned out not to be prediabetic...although I still have to keep a watch on it because my father and grandmother are both diabetic.

I realize that even when I do eat healthy I also indulge in high sugar foods. I would cut calories and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables..but would indulge in sweets.

Even when I went down to 1500 calories a day, part of that included a slice of cheesecake.

I was essentially sabotaging myself with the sugar because people who are addicted to sugar instantly store it as fat instead of burning it up.

I am going to go on a gradual sugar detox in 2012 and start by NOT purchasing some of the following things:

-sugar cookies (I like them frozen and will sometimes eat two after lunch)
-ice cream (sorry Ben and Jerry)
-cheesecake

These silly foods will be replaced by raspberries (which I love) and greek yogurt with sliced almonds.

I am also using only honey to sweeten my tea and I will stop drinking juice for the month of January, relying only on tea and water to hydrate.

At the end of the month I should be more sensitive to sugar and should therefore crave it less...leading to less weight gain.

I am also going to start hula hooping and doing my yoga daily. I mentioned doing those two things before but I never kept up with it. I can hula hoop while watching television, instead of lying down and not doing anything at all.

Elongate Your Face With Danglers

We are in the middle of the holiday season and that means TONS of parties. Every diva will be out in full force and we need to take a quick look at accessories.

Earrings play a big part in your wardrobe and since this is the time when most of us are putting on a few pounds we can use a simple trick to help hide that weight gain.

Simply wear dangling earrings like chandeliers in order to instantly slim your face. The lower they hang and the thinner they are, the better for your face!!! So slip on those danglers and elongate your face, making you look even more fabulous this season.

Starting a FIVE day Detox

Hello Divas!

I found this five day detox plan in an issue of a magazine I have been reading. I have been really bad about eating recently and added to NOT exercising I have put on even more weight.

I am currently at 165.3 lbs!!!!

This is nuts. My clothes can still go on me but my tummy is just so horrible that I am grossed out.

This five day detox is supposed to jump start your metabolism without leaving you hungry. It consists of 5 foods that you eat every day.

These five foods contain antioxidants and nutrients that should help speed up weight loss and they are:

1. eggs
2. spinach
3. yogurt
4. raspberries
5. almonds

There are recipes for combining those ingredients into different meals during the day so I hope it works for me and I am not bored with only five different foods.

You are not supposed to do this detox for more than five days as it is merely a jump start to better eating. I will see where I am after the five days.

Wish me luck!

Product Review: Reb'l Fleur by Rihanna

Hello Divas!!

I love perfume and I think that one of the marks of a true diva is that she ALWAYS smells great. This can be achieved through a variety of things like:
-lotions
-perfumes
-body sprays

but the important thing is to always smell nice.

I love getting perfume samples in the mail and I just one for Reb'l Fleur by Rihanna.



I opened the paper pouch and sniffed...and I must say that I am not impressed. The bottle leaves something to be desired in my opinion and I an confused by the swirling black and gold and brown tones.

I smelled the perfume and while it is okay it is not to my taste so it is not something that I would run out to buy.

It is a bit on the heavier side with regards to scent so I guess it for the evening or night use. It does smell sexy and sensual so those of you who like that thing should go ahead and give it a try.

It has faint (to me) tones of musk and something sweet like vanilla but it is definitely a scent for the BOLD divas out there.

Get Your Shiny DIVA Hair On!!

Hello Divas!

We all want beautiful, shiny hair because that is one of the marks of healthy hair. Now you can always mist on some shine enhancer but we all know that is just a temporary fix.

Trim
You want to have shiny hair that is shiny because it is healthy and does not contain a lot of products. One of the best ways to start this is to get a trim. Trimming your hair gets rid of the nasty, frizzy split ends and provides a clean, flat end for your hair.

I know a LOT of hairdressers (especially the black ones) tend to cut a huge chunk of hair when you ask for a trim, which is why many women shy away from getting a proper haircut. Be FIRM with the hair dresser and if you want no more than ONE INCH taken off then SPEAK up and let her know.

Personally I tell them I need to face the mirror so I can see what they are doing. Do NOT turn me away from the mirror and then surprise me with an inch and a half of hair on the floor.

Turn Down the Heat
Many of us are slaves to the flat iron or the curling iron and attack our hair with those tools on a daily basis.

That is BAD!!!

Too much heat burns up the hair and roughs up the cuticle, resulting in loss of shine. Turn it down and give your hair a break every now and then. Experts say to try to limit heat on your hair to no more than twice a week to get your locks all shiny.

Deep Condition
Yup. You need to do a deep conditioning or use a mask to get oils to your hair to keep it soft and shiny. One of the best deep conditioning tools I have found is to just use the olive oil that you have in your kitchen.

Apply some oil to your hair, cover with a plastic cap and turn on the blow drier for 10 minutes OR run around the house and do some cleaning for 30-45 minutes. Then wash and condition for shiny hair.

What are some of your favorite tips for getting AND keeping your hair shiny?

Still Fighting With My Weight

Hello Divas!

I must say that I have not been consistent with any plan that I have started and as a result I keep putting on the weight that I lose.

I will be down a few days then start to go back up because I just do not stick with any one thing. I tried the reduced calorie thing and did it for about a week then I quit because I was hungry ALL THE TIME.

I tried to start P90X but since I never exercise it hurt too much on the third day so I quit that too.

I walked a mile around the lake and quit after a week.

I tried some diet pills....quit those too because they made me feel sick, or weak or did not take away my appetite like they promised. I also had some pills make me feel really crazy like I was nervous all the time.

So I am back up to my horrible 160 lbs and I do not feel good at all.

My thighs are flabby, my stomach jiggles and I feel like $%^&.

I really need some motivation to keep doing one thing because I went down to 155 on a few of my trials but then it always came back up.

And no I do not believe that 160 is my ideal weight that my body wants to be at. My body feels ugly and looks bad at this weight. My ideal weight is 140-145!!!!

I really need to find a way to stick to my weight loss program..any tips?

Jersey Shore....Oh Please No More

Hello Divas!

Now I enjoy the latest trashy reality tv just as much as the next diva..BUT this last episode of Jersey Shore "Where's My Boyfriend?" had me really disgusted.

The part I hated was where Snooki actually took hold of her dress and lifted it UP AROUND HER WAIST and began dancing.

Her boyfriend told her to stop and her response was to lie down on the seat and show her butt!!!!

I have laughed at times when she accidentally showed some boobs or butt but quickly covered it up...but in this case she did it on purpose. And then then when he told her to stop she just kept doing it and had the nerve to get mad at HIM.

People have been commenting on the episode and saying he knew what he was getting into when he started dating her...but this is too much to ask of someone. Yes he knows that she does crazy stuff when she is drunk but I am sure he went into the relationship thinking she would at least listen to him when he told her not to do things like that and make herself look like a fool.

He should not have to put up with her exposing herself in just a THONG for EVERYONE to see and I am glad that he walked out.

One thing to note is that he did not just walk out as soon as she did it...he TRIED to talk to her but she told him to leave.

Then she says she does not deserve the way he is treating her.

Oh? And does he deserve to have everyone staring because his girlfriend who claims to love him so much cannot keep her dress down?

Really class less behavior Nicole!!!! Ewwww.

Where Are All The NATURAL Products?

Hello Divas!

I have been hunting high and low to find 'natural' products but I just cannot find anything with a short list of ingredients.

I decided to look at Burt's Bees items because they claim to be natural but when I looked at the list of ingredients I was very disappointed. I know that when a product uses a scientific name they put the common name in parentheses so you can tell what it is, e.g.

-avena sativa (oat)....found in Aveeno active naturals lotion
-thoebrama cacao (cocoa) extract......found in Palmer's cocoa butter formula.

But we all know that things like

-benzyl alcohol
-sodium chloride
-dimethicone

are NOT natural.

I was told that the closer a product is to being natural...the fewer ingredients it will have. Out of those, there will be more with parentheses and less with long sounding names. I was sad to see that Burt's Bees had TONS of long chemical sounding names and a tiny percentage of products that were plant based and therefore NATURAL.

A friend of mine also told me about Carol's Daughter hair products so I decided to check them out.

Same thing...I was stunned to see the list of chemicals in this 'good for you, natural' line of hair care.

The ONE thing I have found with the fewest ingredients happens to be Palmer's cocoa butter...which is a formula that I use regularly and love anyway.

So again I ask...WHERE are all the NATURAL products?

Product Review: Organix Moroccan Argan Oil

Hello Divas!

It is time once again to review a product that I have used and share with you my personal experience.

I bought this Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner because I had heard some great things about their products. A friend of mine absolutely RAVED about how soft it made her hair feel so I thought why not give it a try.

I started off with the shampoo which has a GREAT fragrance and began to wash my hair. The shampoo is a bit thin when you actually use it although it comes out of the bottle rather thick. I had to use double the amount to wash my hair and it lathered up a bit even though it is sulfate free.

There really isn't much to say about shampoo as it got my hair feeling clean with just one wash so I moved on to the conditioner.

The conditioner smelled nice although the shampoo had a much better scent in my opinion. The conditioner was relatively thick but again I did have to use a lot more than with other products to get the same feeling on my head.

I massaged the conditioner through and then got a wide tooth comb to slowly detangle from the ends to the roots. I thought that because this conditioner was not as thick and creamy as others that I have used that it took me a while longer to get the tangles out.

My other issue with the conditioner is that it seems to cling to the inside of the bottle so that you have to shake the bottle a bit AND squeeze to get the product out.

My hair did not feel 'great' as the product claims it should and I think I have had better results with Neutrogena products in the past.

All in all, I say it is a fair product to use but if you have very dry hair like I do then you might want something with a creamier conditioner.

Instyler Review

Hello Divas!!!!

I have very thick hair and have used a flat iron to straighten out my hair. I kept hearing about the magical powers of the Instyler so I decided to get one finally.

I paid $94.97 for the Instyler and I will be getting my money back PRONTO!!!!

The Instyler may work for some people but it did NOT work for me at all. I have had MUCH better results with the Remington flat iron $40 that I got from WalMart and I am going back to using that.

The Instyler has these little brushes that are supposed to smooth out the hair but all they did was tangle the hair even when I had smoothed it out with a fine tooth comb. I guess it is safe to say that this tool works for Caucasian or Mixed hair but not for truly Black hair like mine.

Even on the lowest setting it sent steam into the air and I could smell my hair burning....which was strange since I have used flat irons and even a CHI on higher heat than that.

It also did not do a good job of straightening out my hair and the hair was not all light and fluffy like on the commercials. Instead it was stiff and straight and limp and looked like I had sprayed hairspray on before using it...which I did not.

It was also difficult to get close to the very roots of the hair, which is where I needed the most straightening power. The appliance also needs to lie on its side when not in use because the bottom part is wobbly and you cannot place it upside down.

The rotating portion of the tool was also quite loud and it was slightly annoying to me. It is bad enough to have the loudness of a blow dryer and then to have this follow was just too much for me to handle.

It took a long time to cool off once unplugged...not a deal breaker but I just was not impressed with the whole affair and I will be returning it for a full refund and going back to using my Remington flat irons once again.

What has YOUR experience been the Instyler? Do you LOVE it? Do you HATE it?

Dermatologist's Advice For Dark Underarms

Hello Divas

So I went to see a pr0fessional about my dark armpits and she told me that before they could do anything about the color they had to deal with the excessive sweating, also called hyperhydrosis.

She gave me a regimen that I am supposed to follow for the next month and then come back to see her and I really hope that this helps.

The first thing I am supposed to do is to use Certain Dri antiperspirant at night to shrink my pores and stop the sweating.



The next thing I am supposed to do is to apply Zeasorb powder over my regular antiperspirant during the day.

So far I have not noticed any change but after reading the reviews I saw that some people said it took about three weeks of continuous use for the sweating to be reduced. Some others said they never saw a change in the sweating. Still others said that the Certain Dri gave them a rash or something.

I have noticed that it does feel strong so I am going to use it every other night because it does tend to irritate my armpits.

The Zeasorb powder is also not being used every day because it causes me to itch....I read that it was made for athletes foot!!!! What, does the doctor think I have athletes foot under my arms?

Single Ladies: Confidence Games

Hello Divas!!!!

So I have been watching this show recently called Single Ladies. It is really interesting, although I do think that at times it can come across as a little bit fake.

This episode Daryl served his wife with divorce papers ON HER BIRTHDAY and that small act got me to hate him. I know he is upset because she cheated on him but she was really sorry and she was taking steps to reconcile their marriage.

If he wanted to serve her I think he could at least have waited until some time after...but he put the papers in a gift box and dressed in his good suit and then when she opened the box there were the divorce papers. That was a very low blow.

Some of the acting leaves a lot to be desired but it is a refreshing show...AND there is a super fabulous gay guy named Omar on the show!!!!!

Going To A Dermatologist

Hello Divas!

So I have finally gotten really tired of my dark armpits and I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist in town.

I have been thinking about it for a long time but I know that those things are very expensive and I wanted to be able to save some money because I know it will be a lot even with my insurance.

The tipping point is that now I have a wedding to attend next month and I want to not be ashamed to wear something nice. I have no idea if the dermatologist will be able to help and everything I read on their website talks about using peels to get to the lighter, nicer skin.

I hope that something can be done to help me get rid of my nasty armpits so I will be going to the doctor and getting a consultation to see what can be done.

I hope that it is not expensive and can be done quickly so I can have a nice summer.

Tweaking My Eating Plan

Hello Divas!

It has been a while since I posted about my weight management....or really about anything at all but I am now back on track...I think.

I realize that counting calories is not working for me because I have not been able to stick to the calorie count that was suggested for me.

I also just read that generally limiting calories does not work for many people because in the back of your mind you stress about the calories you consume. This leads to increased stress and high stress leads to retention of belly fat.

So by counting my calories I was actually programming my body to store those calories as fat!!!!!

I am going to go on a modified version of the Weight Watchers plan which does not involve me counting ANYTHING.

The latest research from Weight Watchers shows natural fruits and vegetables as FREE foods. This means you can eat as much of them as you want without them counting towards your points. The other foods are the ones that you need to worry about...but I will just focus on eating CLEANER and healthier foods.

So I will be having unlimited
-strawberries
-blueberries
-cucumbers
-cherries
-apples
and other such foods!

I plan on eating a few fruits or veggies before my meal and then if I still feel hungry I will have some more.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Cream Lipgloss: My New Love

Hello Divas!

I normally don't like to try out new lip glosses because of the disappointment that I have had with many of them.

I recently decided to try out Rimmel Moisture Renew lipgloss because I wanted a little bit of a change and it is getting harder to find my L'Oreal lipgloss in the raspberry shade that I love so much.

I tend to shy away from 'cream' glosses because they conjure images of old ladies wearing frosty shades but then I saw the lip gloss in SOS Red and scooped it up.



When I got home I immediately tried this on over my regular lip balm and was amazed by how smoothly it went on. I then tried it without lip balm because I figured it should be smooth if it is a cream formula....I was NOT disappointed.

The gloss went on as smoothly and thinly as if I had lip balm on which makes it perfect for days when I don't have anything to layer under it.

It did not have a strong scent like so many cream formulas tend to have and even though it comes with SPF 15 I could not smell the sunscreen at all.

I have read some reviews that said it tastes great but to me there is no taste at all. I would have liked if it had some kind of fruity flavor because now it is just boring.

The color goes on sheer but pretty so that it does not look like you are wearing make up...just that you have fabulously juicy lips.

I will definitely be trying out other colors in this line in the future!!!!

The one thing I will say that I do not like about it is that the color dries out very quickly and the color fades in about one hour so you need to keep reapplying to keep it looking vibrant.

Took Some Time Off To Refocus

I have been going through some issues in my life lately that have been causing me to really neglect the blog.

I just realized that it has been a LONG time since my last post...but I needed to take some time off to refocus. I will be getting back to a regular posting schedule soon...just bear with me.

I am Back Divas!!!

Hello Divas!!!!

I guess you ladies thought I dropped off the face of the earth or something. Well I was going through a bit of a rough patch for a while and really lost the zeal to blog.

I am better now and will get back to the regularly scheduled programming!!!

Looking For A New Diet Pill

Hello Divas!!!

I have been having some issues with losing the weight and putting it back on again. I tried some diet pills but they gave me terrible stomach aches or else left me running for the bathroom at different times.

This was very uncomfortable for me and not very practical...so I am looking for a new diet pill that will not have me sitting on the toilet all the time.

I guess I need something that will suppress my appetite or rev up my metabolism or both. Any suggestions?

Still Battling My Armpits

Hello Divas!

I have recently been getting a LOT of comments and emails about any updates on my armpits. I know I have not posted pictures in a long time but that is because there really has not been any change in my armpits yet.

A few months ago I went through the whole rash thing when I tried a new antiperspirant and my pits were bleeding and peeling for about a week. It was horrible.

The color seems to be the same now but I have been using Dove antiperspirant...not the clinical strength so I will get some new pics up soon.

Today Was A Trying Day

So one of the things I would like to work on my attitude. I tend to take things personally and I really let things bother me that maybe I should let go. We went back to work today and a big change was thrown at me that I did not like. It really threw a wrench in my plans because I have my workload organized a certain way and the change was a major disruption to my normal day.

I did not make a big fuss because I know that I had to do what my boss says, but I did internalize the situation and this made me have negative feelings for the entire day. I know that this was a bad way to feel and to go about my day because frowning causes wrinkles!!!

No, but on a serious note, just being angry or upset causes negative interactions in our bodies and raises the stress that is done to our cells. I really should not have kept those negative feelings for the better part of the day and I will try to go in tomorrow with a different attitude.