Financially Fit in 2014

Happy New Year Lovelies!!

I hope that your holidays were AWESOME!  You know, now is the time of year where people focus on goal setting and change.  Everyone focuses on different aspects of their lives depending on how well or not so well the progress was in the previous year.   Of course I will be helping you all get physically fit and healthy, but I wanted to take the time to provide you with a tool to assist you in becoming financially fit.  

Photo Credit

It is very important that you are financially fit, because it provides you a way of life which includes food, shelter, leisure, entertainment. etc.  I am by no means a consultant, accountant, or financial analyst.  I am providing you this information from my own research and personal experience. There are key ingredients to consider when focusing on getting fit. They include:

1. Being HONEST
2. Setting your BUDGET
3. Assessing your progress
4. Adjusting your BUDGET

You have to write out all of your expenses down to how much you spend at the vending machine.  Just be honest.  You can even take your monthly bank statement and find out where all of your money is going. Some banks even provide you with a summary of your spending.  Use this if it is available to you.  Next, set a budget after you have reviewed your expenses.  Write down how much you want to save per week or per month and then work from there.  Once you set your budget, abide by it for a month and then assess your budgeting for the month.  If changes need to be made, make those adjustments and follow the new budget for the next month.  Once you have a sustainable budget in place, FOLLOW IT.

You have to hold yourself accountable.

Here is an example of a monthly tool you can download and use.  There are plenty out there including daily and weekly tracking tools as well.    

You have to start somewhere.  Go ahead and get started today.  There isn't a better time for you to begin.  Start NOW.


Until Next Time,

90 Day Challenge Requirements

Happy Thankful Tuesday!!
You have a lot to be thankful and grateful for!

Today, I want to go over some items that you will need while on this challenge.  We will begin this challenge on Monday April 29th!!! You will have the remainder of this week and the weekend to get your grocery shopping completed and to write out your plan for the next 90 days.

First things first; get your head in the game.  You have to have a new mindset in order to accomplish what might seem impossible to you.   Remove the word CAN'T from your vocabulary. 

Next you are going to have to EAT.  Stop starving yourself and depriving your body of the nutrients it needs.

Then, you have to get to MOVING.  You don't have to spend hours in the gym or even go to a gym.  You can use what you have at home i.e. stairs, your back yard, your garage, your living room etc.  It all depends on what your goal is at this point.  I will send you weekly workouts to do each day.  To some it might seem like it is not enough and to others it might seem crazy.  But, think about it this way.  Are you even doing any of this right now?  Do you even take 30 minutes out of your day to focus on creating a HEALTHY body for yourself?  Now is the best time as ever to get on board.  We are all going to encourage each other and hold one another accountable.  Your body is going to respond to these changes if you carry them out properly.

Requirements: 

• A Positive and Can Do Attitude
• A Current Photo:  Take a picture of your body as it is right now.  Look at it and focus on what you want to change in that picture.  Tuck it away so that you can use it later for a comparison.
• Food: Write out your grocery list.  There will be a video posted tomorrow showing you all my groceries for this week.
• DO NOT CALL THIS A DIET.  This is taking control of your diet/nutrition, but you are not dieting.  When you diet, you only do something for a period of time, and then you return to your old eating habits once you are finished.  We want to make this a part of our lifestyle.  Believe me; you will not be eating salads everyday all day.  You need more than that anyway :-).
• Get your Body by Vi Shakes on order.  Contact me and I will get you signed up.

Take the remainder of this week to get your mind in order and to get all of the items that you will need.  Make this fun for the entire family!  Please don't hesitate to ask questions.  Let's go!!

Until Next Time,

Eyeshadow Primers :UDPP vs Mac Prep & Prime Eye Base

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you all are having a wonderful Wednesday.

I am not a makeup guru by far, but I LOVE wearing eyeshadow and mascara. I purchased my first bottle of Urban Decay's Primer Potion (UDPP) for ~$17 a few months back and I really like how it keeps my eyeshadow in place all day without creasing. 

Last week I noticed that I was beginning to run out so I decided to try out a different primer. I went for Mac's Prep & Prime Eye Base ($17).   I thought that I would try it out since MAC's makeup line has been getting rave reviews from some of my friends here and online. Maybe the eyeshadows, blush, foundation, etc are great but not this Primer. I could not believe how fast my eyeshadow wore off, not to mention the creasing I got before I even applied the eyeshadow. I am so not happy with this product. I see now that I prefer UDPP over MAC's Prep & Prime Eye Base.

Has anyone else ever had this problem?

Do you all have any suggestions on how I can use the MAC product in such a way that it lasts on my eyes? Meaning, should I mix it with something else like some creamy foundation or something?

I don't want this to go to waste. All I can think about now is that I should have stayed with what I know and bought the UDPP for the same price. We live and we learn.

Also, if you use UDPP and you think you are running low, checkout this link.  It shows you how to depot the UDPP.  You are going to be surprised to find out that you have more of the product left than you think.

Don't forget,

Follow me on Twitter 

Friend me on Facebook 

Check out my products and goodies at  Nature's Indulgence by Dionne 

Check out my videos on You Tube

Until next time, take care and enjoy the rest of your day!!

New Ends

Good Morning!!
I hope that your Tuesday is off to a Terrific start. In a recent blog post, I shared my thoughts on split ends. Well, I trimmed my ends and my hair feels wonderful. I thought that I would show you all the method that I used. You will need clean hair and scalp, small ponytail holders/scrunchies, olive oil, a bowl, hair shears and a comb. Take a look at the video below to see how I did it.

Thanks to all of you who requested a sample of the Nourishing Hair Butter. Your samples are on the way ;o).





Until Next Time,
Indulgenceiskey
www.naturesindulgence.net

My Hair is in Love

I have been on a hunt for a product that gave me twists/twist outs to my liking ever since I BC’d in February of 2006. Some products kind of did the job, but my twists and twist outs wouldn’t last. I’ve read about people making their own gel out of flax seeds, so I went out and bought some a while back. I made my very first batch last month, and I decided to go ahead and put it to the test. Much to my surprise, my hair fell in love and my twists have never been the same.

The flax seed gel concoction left my hair soft, moisturized, and it had a nice hold that wasn’t crunchy or crispy at all. I also sealed my hair with something called “Soothing Foot Butter”. I know it’s geared towards the feet but it's all natural. Everything turned out nice. Hopefully you can see enough of my hair in the pics above to see my results. I didn’t think of taking a close up hair shot of my results at the time, but I will make sure to do so when I twist again.

Flax seeds are an awesome source of Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids nourish the hair which in turn promotes healthy hair growth and a natural sheen when taken orally. I’ve seen the benefits of applying the Omega-3 fatty acids externally to my strands by way of the flax seed gel. You can use the gel on your scalp as well. It helps combat psoriasis and eczema that may be present on the scalp. You might want to think about adding some Omega-3 supplements to your daily vitamin intake to get your fair share of healthy fats. These unsaturated fats are beneficial to your cardiovascular and brain health as well as your immune system.

My Recipe
½ cup of flax seed
3 cups of water (use 1½ to 2 cups for a slightly thicker gel)
1 oz Avocado Oil
1 oz Aloe Vera Gel

Bring the flax seeds and water to a boil. Stir the flax seeds as the water boils. You will see a frothy type gel begin to form. Continue to stir for about another minute. Remove your pan from the heat and strain the mixture using a strainer with the smallest holes you can find or a tea ball. I’ve found that these work best. It can get a little messy if you use a cheese cloth. After straining, let the gel cool and stir occasionally. Once it cools, add the oil, AVG, and stir. The gel will be kind of slimy and loose if you use 3 cups of water. You may want to place this in the fridge in between uses if you are not using a preservative in your mixture. Apply as needed.



Until Next Time,
Indulgenceiskey
www.naturesindulgence.net

Salvaged Twist Out

What do you do with your twist outs when they no longer have the frizz free defined crinkle? Usually I will do a fresh set of twists or try to pull it back into a bun or a puff. I thought that I would share with you all what I have done with my latest salvaged twist out. Check it out and I hope it helps you out when you want to do something different with yours.

Have a Terrific Thursday!

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Indulgenceiskey

www.naturesindulgence.net

All Twisted Up!

Hello my darling readers! I pray that your Tuesday is off to a terrific start.
Recently, I have wanted to do something totally different with my hair. With me being in the protective styling mindset, I braided, twisted and tucked my hair. Yes! I did it all :0). Below is what I did to achieve the style.

• Co-washed and detangle with Aussie Moist Conditioner
• Added a moisturizer (one of my concoctions that I am testing)
• Parted my hair into sections from front to back
• Braided the two outside sections sideways and twisted the remainder of the hair after the braid was complete
• Two strand twisted the middle section
• Sealed the hair with a shea butter mixture as I went along
• Let air dry overnight
• Twisted the twists up into a French twist/roll and tucked the ends under

From here you can bun or create an updo to suit your taste.

I learned the basics of this style from Prettydimples01 and Beautifulbrwnbabydol on Youtube. They have great tutorials on styling hair.
I am going to try and keep this style for about a week.

Below is my Youtube video showcasing the style.

Enjoy and Until Next Time,
Indulgenceiskey
http://www.naturesindulgence.net/

We Have a Winner!!

I just want to say thanks to all of you who entered for a chance at my Knuckle Butter giveaway.


The winner of an 8oz jar of Knuckle Butter is.............Pam!!
Congratulations!



Below is a picture of Ms. Pam and her "How to" for the style in her pic. Her hair looks awesome!

To achieve my CURLY FRO PUFF
Prepoo ~ olive oil
Co-wash ~ Freeman Papaya and Lime Conditioner
Deep Conditioner ~ Freeman Sea Kelp Moisture (added a little olive oil) with heat 30 min-1 hour
Moisturizer ~ Miss Jessie Curly Pudding
Drinking Straws/Bobby Pins to curl hair to make curly afro

Be on the look out for more drawings/giveaways.

Until Next Time,

Indulgenceiskey

www.naturesindulgence.net

Two Strand Twists Meets Flexi-Rods

This weekend I tried something new. I did two strand twists on my hair and set them on Flexi-Rods and Voila!!












I actually like this style on me. My hair is very soft and mainly frizz free. It is also very shiny!! Today is day 2 of this style and it is still holding up. I used 54 Flexi-Rods and 2 regular organge rods (I ran out of Flexi's).

What's funny is that shrinkage still found its way into my hairstyle (I know..It's never going away). I did a length check and saw that my hair is Arm Pit Length fully stretched in the back (shown in the 3rd pic). But once I let that curl go, it BOING'd back into place!

What I did to acheive this style:

• Co-washed and detangled with Herbal Essence Totally Twisted
• Deep Conditioned for 45 min with Pantene Pro-V Nourishing Moisture Replenishing Mask
• Sectioned off hair with 2 cross sections(Front to back and Ear to Ear) that gave me 4 sections to work with (Braid the sections that you are not working with)
• Applied ABBA Pure Gentle Leave In and DevaCare One Conditioner
• Twisted hair and sealed entire twist with Knuckle Butter (My Own Product)
• Spiraled twists around Blue 7" Flexi-Rod (diameter 9/16")
• Let air dry over night
• Removed Flexi-Rods and carefully pulled twist apart ~ while pulling apart I had shea butter on my finger tips and palms
• Pinned up the left side of curls with 2 hair pins

Have you ever used the Flexi-Rods? Please share your experiences.

Until Next Time,

Indulgenceiskey

http://www.naturesindulgence.net/