Social Media Blackout- What I Learned

So, I am a couple weeks status post my social media blackout. I needed a time-out because I was feeling a certain kind of way about my life and I needed to find a way to change my attitude until I felt able to change my situation.

I have concerns about my personal life and the life of my future business. They both are on struggle mode at this point, so I had to make an effort to change that.

First thing, I needed to do was declutter. They say that you are a product of your environment and my surroundings were totally jacked up. So before I can even consider getting business ideas off the ground, I needed to clear out a whole bunch of stuff in my house and my mind. I started my physical declutter mission by going into my basement closet and I tossed clothes, shoes and purses that I don't use anymore. Most will go to Salvation Army, while some I plan on selling at a community garage sale my old neighborhood is having this summer. My bedroom was a hot mess as well, so after doing the most at IKEA, I got that together by reorganizing my hair and beauty products. 

Then it was time for the mental declutter. I had to rid my mind of the thoughts of failure. I had to stop thinking about my failed business as a total loss and use it as a learning tool. Now that I know what to do, and what not to do, I can set myself up for a better outcome. I also had to break down my business venture into smaller, attainable goals. And most of all, I had to stop comparing my life to others. Bow Wow taught us that the Instagram life ain't nothing but a front most of the time. And while I realize that social media is like a scripted reality show, I still had to remind myself that my life is good, too.

With all the extra time I had, I was able to complete two online courses. My kids were out of town, too, so hubby and I had fun trying out new places to eat. We did have to take a 10 hr road trip to rescue same kids, who were stranded with the family at a Kentucky gas station after the van broke down, but all went well after that.

My Ah-ha moment- I am very observant when it comes to my feelings and deal with them one of two ways. By totally ignoring that they exists, or dealing with them head on. So, I had a revelation- I realized that I have been so fearful of failing that I have failed to live. I don't ask friends and family if they want to hang out- out of fear that they'll bail on me and I'll be all up in my feelings about it. I haven't taken the steps to go back to school out of fear that I will get myself further in debt and spend several years just to hang a diploma on my wall and not work in that field. I haven't started my business out fear of doing like I did before- putting my all into it for a few years and spend all my savings just for it to fail. 

Then, what if I do succeed? What if I actually become the thing that I've always dreamed? So what is my problem? I'm not even comfortable or confident enough to succeed. The thing that I used to live and breath- I now run from. The thing that used to make me feel alive now makes me feel sick to my stomach because somewhere down the line I believed the lie that I told myself- that I wasn't good enough. I've been so uncomfortable with people thinking that I think I'm all that, that I forgot that in real life, I am. I am a published writer and make-up artist and was lucky enough to call the pages of a local magazine my home. I have owned my own business. I can learn a new creative skill in my sleep. I have a husband who is obsessed with me loves me. My kids are amazing in every way. I am beyond blessed and highly favored. There is not a request that I have made that God has not provided. 

So, I feel refreshed and mentally prepared to handle my life's challenges, all because I took a social media break. I suggest you reset every now and then and do the same.

Wishing you love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty,

Rhonda 

My natural hair routine- wash day

 

Don't you hate when you watch a YouTube hair tutorial and they say "oh, I'm gonna show you this simple wash routine," and then they proceed to use 6 or 7 products during the video? Well, I'm probably going to do the same thing. Sorry, but as much as I've tried to simplify my routine and life, I have to listen to my hair cause she can be down right savage if I don't treat her right.

So, this is my fail proof hair care routine for my wash days.

 

1. Pre-poo and detangle. 

I choose to put a protein/ cholesterol treatment or hair mask on my hair prior to shampooing for two reasons- one my hair usually needs it since I only wash it once every 1-2 weeks and two, once I'm out the shower there is no going back in to rinse anything out. Ain't nobody got time for that.

So I spray my hair down with water and aloe Vera juice and distribute my treatment, which right now is Queen Helene's, an oldie but a goody. As I distribute I gently detangle with my fingers and twist up about 10-12 sections in my head and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.

2. Shampoo and condition.

Yes, I shampoo. My hair wants no parts of a co-wash (using conditioner as a wash) situation. While my hair is still twisted up, I rinse the treatment out and shampoo my hair still in sections. Why do I do that? Because the main point of shampooing is to cleanse the scalp and its easier for me to get to my scalp when hair is still parted. Current shampoos in rotation are Shea Moisture and Cream of Nature, while I mini-deep condition with Beautiful Textures.


3. Styling.
After my hair has been washed and conditioned, I put my current leave-in staple- Shea Moisture Black Jamaican Castor Oil Leave-in and seal it in with more Jamaican Black Castor Oil with Amla, which is good for the scalp. My styling technique does change from week to week, depending on my mood. I like to do different things to my hair but, my go-to style is a flat twist and curl. Using either Elasta QP's Design Foam or my homemade flaxseed gel (recipe below), I flat twist my hair upwards in the front and down in the back and secure it with gray perm rods. I sleep in them overnight, or wear a scarf while running errands during the day, and take down and fluff when they are dry.

 Flax Seed Gel Recipe
1. 2 cups boiling water in saucepan. Add 1/4 cup whole flaxseeds. Boil until white film is floating on top of pan, approximately 5-8 minutes.
2. Strain into mason jar or other heat proof container. Let cool for about 2 minutes.
3. Add 4-5 capsules of Vitamin E and 5-6 drops of essential oil of choice. I use lavendar and lemon grass. Stir with wooden spoon or stick. Store in refrigerator, should last 3-4 weeks.

I hope my routine wasn't too overwhelming for any newbies that may be reading this, but the important thing to remember with natural hair is to just do what your hair likes. Sometimes you know right away when a product doesn't work and sometimes products that used to work loose it's power factor once your hair gets used to it. Do you have any staple products your think I should try?
































Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
Rhonda

 

My Must Have Beauty Products

As a reformed product junkie, I had to cut back on buying beauty products. I had to cut waayyyy back. The amount of beauty products I possessed was crazy. Let me put it to you this way, if the zombie apocalypse hit, I wouldn't have but a few cans of food, but my hair would stay moisturized and tangle free. And should I find clean water to wash my face, it would be #flawless. I would be the cutest zombie in these streets (cause lets face it, I can't run and I get squeamish cutting up chicken so I'm not going to last very long.)

So, since I decided that 1- the zombie apocalypse is not a real thing and 2- my bank account was suffering, it was time to scale back to just the essentials. I want to share with you my 3 must have beauty products: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, Dickinson's Witch Hazel and Olay Complete. 

Dermalogica Daily Micro is a water activated exfoliate that balances uneven skin tones by gently removing pore clogging dead skin cells. It has a plethora of good stuff to help smooth and refresh, including salicylic acid, grapefruit, green tea and colloidal oatmeal. It does not have any artificial color or fragrance and is just about the only exfoliate I use. It does carry a hefty price tag of $55 at Ulta for 2.6 oz, but it's worth every drop-(or grain- it's in powder form.)

Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel is an oldie but a goodie. It's been around for years and has 1 ingredient- "all natural distilled witch hazel, containing natural grain alcohol 14% and witch hazel extract." For those who know nothing about toners, what it does is brings the ph balance back to your skin so that you don't leave your pores open and more susceptible to bacteria and breakouts. I use this to get every last bit of makeup off and my skin feels smooth and not in the least bit dry. At only $6 for 16oz, you would be crazy not to at least give it a try.

I have been using Olay Complete since my teenage years. So long so, that it was called Oil of Olay when I first started buying it. I use Olay Complete as my daily moisturizer and my skin loves it. It moisturizes, has SPF 15 for UVA and UVB protection and is lightweight, but effective. I will send out a small word of caution though because it has to be the regular formula for me. I tried the sensitive formula with the SPF 30 and it was so chalky it made my skin look sallow and gray. Because I don't do returns, I sometimes will mix it with my foundation if I'm having an extra dry day. And at around $7, Olay Complete is a great buy.

Those are my essentials, what are yours?

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
Rhonda

30 Day Make-up Challenge: Lipsticks and Lashes

Day 5: My Favorite Lipstick, lip gloss and liner combo.

In my true fashion, I can't pick just one lip combo to show you, I'm going to show you 3: my everyday, favorite summer lip and my favorite fall lip.

1. Starting with the lower left hand corner is my favorite everyday lip: Bobbi Brown Rich Lip in Uber Suede and Maybelline's Elixir in Mauve Mystique.

2. Above that is my fall lip: NK Lipstick in Amethyst, Maybelline Elixir in Raspberry Rhapsody and NYX liner in Purple Rain.

3. My go to summer lip was achieved with: MAC Cremesheen in Hang-up, OCC Lip Tar in NSFW and NYX Lip Pencil in Plush Red.

Day 6: Do you like or wear false lashes?

My relationship with false lashes is like my relationship with desserts: It's a love/hate thing, but yet I've tried just about every kind. Also, I will never turn them down, but I can't stand what I have to do once I get them like work out and sleep pretty. But, regardless on how I have to sleep, I still love my lashes from time to time.

So do I prefer individuals or strip lashes? Well, I think they both have pros and cons.
Strip Lashes are quicker to apply, but they are really only supposed to be worn for a day, so I will sometimes take them off nightly and reapply. Individual lashes are great because they can be customized any way you want them. I can wear all smalls, all mediums or if I'm feeling like doing the most I will put the smalls in my inner corners and fade out with the mediums. But, individuals are meant to last so I have to sleep with my head propped up so not to wake up with bent lashes (which happens very often for me- what can I say, I be tired).

You also have to make sure you clean with q-tips daily. I don't wear eyeshadow when I wear lashes because I just hate not being able to get all of it off when wearing falsies and have the gunk build up. I have a friend who said she would get conjunctivitis (pink eye) every time she wore lashes because of all that looming bacteria.

One very important thing is that you don't use hair glue to put on your lashes. There was a brief moment in history where I was doing this because the container of hair glue lasted longer than that tub of lash glue. But, there have been reports of women injuring their eyes from using hair glue and it just isn't worth it.

The things we do for beauty.

What's your favorite lippie combo? And are you a falsie wearer? Why or why not?

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
Rhonda

Get It Together

One of the most important keys to success is to be consistent, to end as strong as you started. That is so not one of my strong points. I will start a project hard, 110% and then slowly the energy I had at the beginning starts to fade until it is practically non-existent. It happened with my business, started to happen with my marriage, hell- it happened with this blog.

I'm not going to sit here and give the "I'm back" speech again and how I'm going to do better, blah, blah, blah. But, what I will do is take time for myself to do those thing that make me happy, and this blog is one of them. I have made it my goal that in addition to being so and so's wife and so and so's mother, that I will make a name for myself as well.

So, I've decided to nix my other blog and combine the two on Soul Deep Beauty. I can't separate my beauty biz and my family life because they both are a part of my life. And although my make-up gigs are few and far between, I still can beat a face down. #dontgetittwisted

As I transition two blogs into one, I'm going to bring over some of my favorite posts from I Heart My B.A.D.D. Kids. Enjoy!

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
Rhonda

Fabulous Friday and Birthday Reflections

Today is a very special Fabulous Friday. One, we've returned after a small hiatus, two, my birthday passed a couple weeks ago (I know, I'm late) and lastly- I got a new job. Despite some small hiccups in my life, I'm still on party mode. After a couple weekends of good food, good friends and good fun, I'm just feeling so blessed to have all those things I've prayed for come to pass.

That being said, I want to start with a small list of things that I'm grateful for now that I've celebrated 32 years of life.

- I'm grateful for a husband, children, family and friends who accept me for being my silly, sarcastic, quirky, indecisive, and (sometimes) bossy self.

- Faith, mercy and salvation, and the ability to know the difference.

Things I learned:

- That joy and sorrow can't exist in the same place.

- To never take people, life or circumstances for granted.

Old (but still good) mantra:

"I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me."

New mantra:

"God says if you rest in Him, He will show you the rest of Him."
 

Preach!

Now, on a lighter note, I had a B-Day mini-photo shoot for myself and can't wait till the next one. It's something that I had been thinking about for a while, so when I had a sudden burst of energy, I decided to just do it. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen these, but here goes anyway.

This is my makeshift photo studio. I bought the lights and backdrop stand off of Amazon.
My point and shoot is a Kodak, and I've had the tripod for years.

                                                

My hurr:

This was a 3 day old twist out that fro'ed out after a weekend of doing the most.

I used- Shea Moisture Raw Organic Black Soap Shampoo

Giovanni Deep Treatment Conditioner

Knot Today Leave in

Coconut grease/pomade

Eco Styler gel. 

Every night I pineappled and refreshed with jojoba oil and aloe vera gel.

My make-up:

Maybelline Mineral Powder Liquid Foundation Cocoa 

Make-up Forever Concealer Pallet 5

Stilla Blush in Coral

Milani Bronzer in Golden

Sleek Makeup Contour Kit in Dark 

Katy Perry Color Pop Faux Lashes on top, Ardell Mini Individuals on bottom

Sephora Kohl Eyeliner

Brown shadow on brows

And my lips are a combination of two Lip Tars- Demure (hot pink) and (tbd-name rubbed off) lavender

What I'm wearing:

Earrings- Charming Charlies 

Hello Kitty glasses- bought off of Poshmark 

"Rock the Hair You Wear" T-Shirt- bought at African Festival -lost company info :(

Purple cardigan- Old Navy

Jeans- Old Navy

Yeah, yo girl put her model face on and thought she was doing something. I had a lot of fun, even though it was crazy having to set the timer and run back to get the right shot. But, this photo shoot was a part of a personal journey I had been on (that I hope to share soon) and it was about me accepting myself for who I am. I had put it off saying I would do it once I dropped a couple pounds or when I could get my perfect twist out. But, I reminded myself that it's not about being perfect, it's about being me. So go head, do you boo and love every moment of it.

Until next time,

Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty 

Fabulous Friday-Thrifty Finds

Yes, I know it's Monday, but for the sake of trying to recover from this past holiday weekend, lets pretend it's Friday. Plus, I know I have missed the last couple of Fab Fridays, because I have been super busy. So lets get down to business.

My hair is in a twist and curl, which basically is a twist out with rods on the end.

Shirt- Thrifted from Value World for $2.80! Love a good deal.
Leggings- Lane Bryant
Sandals- Dots
Earrings- Charming Charlies
Bracelet- Tiffany & Co.

And, because I was totally feeling myself last week, here's another one. This was what I wore on date night.

Dress- Dressbarn
Shoes- Shoe Dazzle
Necklace- Can't remember where I got it from, but it was two of them linked together
Earrings- Lane Bryant
Bracelet- Tiffany & Co.
Also, I had just had my semi-permanent lashes done at Spa-a-Peel (It was a $150 service I was lucky enough to have received a gift card for.)

Until next time.
Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

Fabulous Friday- Puff Love

Hi Loves,

Another Friday has arrived and it's time for the look of the week. It got humid real quick around here. My Bantu Knot-out got bigger and bigger, so by day 3 I decided to tame it and get it back under control. I puffed it out and put a little lean on it. And because I was feeling myself that day, I have an outfit for the week, too.

Shirt- Old Navy

Skirt- Convertible wrap dress from Avon

Shoes- Payless

Earrings- Charming Charlie's

Bracelet- Tiffany & Co.

Necklace- City Trends

We'll see what look of the week I have next time.

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

My Summer Reads

I love to read . Fiction, non-fiction, suspense thriller, you name it. One of my favorite pastimes is to go to the local book store because I am still a big fan of "real" books. Yes, I have an eReader, but ask me when was the last time I used it. I like the smell of a book when you first open it and I like to write little notes and highlight stuff. (I told y'all I was a nerd.)

But, because of my busy schedule I have not had the opportunity to enjoy a good book lately. And every time I say I'm going to dig my heels into a good novel, I find myself in the non-fiction/ self-help aisle at the book store. So here are my two picks for the summer that I can't wait to curl up to as I take my kids to the park, Jungle Java or just choose to mentally check out and let them run free/destroy my house and furniture.

1. Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen
I love Pastor Osteen. Whenever I can't make it to my church on Sundays, I get up to watch his service via TV or Internet. He's part pastor, part motivational speaker and part comedian. The premise of this book is how to be and remain happy in your life. I had bought the audio version of this book last year but due to some technical difficulties, it's in cyber heaven somewhere. So I bought it again determined to find the true joy inside of me. I'm about a quarter of the way into the book and so far I am learning how to recognize how I let things around me determine my happiness. Because I am a goal orientated person, I am always thinking about the next step and saying, "if I only had ____, I would be okay," when in actuality I should be okay anyway. I'm a work in progress people.

2. Better Than Good Hair by Nikki Walton
I have been stalking currlynikki.com since 2009, when I started wearing my naturally textured hair full time. I've talked about her blog before and was so excited that she wrote a book as well that featured some of my fav hair gurus and fellows natural hair enthusiasts. I have only flipped through the pages of this one, but it is so going to be an enjoyable, educational and entertaining journey about natural hair care. I love the lay out, too. I might do a video review on this one.

So those are my summer reads so far. What are yours? Comment below.

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

Team "Be Shameless"

Hey y'all,

Watch this video.



Have you ever felt this way? What could you do today to start shamelessly promoting your strengths and talents?

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

Calling all thrift shoppers!

I have been on a supper tight budget lately and because of that I have had to change the way I shop. Even after swearing I would never buy bootleg cereal again, Aldi is my new best friend. But, being the clothes and shoe fanatic that I am (as well as, mother of two children who outgrow their pants every six months), I have to be a diva on a dime and find other alternatives to my shopping habit.

I have found a few resale/ consignment stores that I like, so I want to shout them out in some upcoming business spotlight posts. But, here's where you guys come in. I need more to shout out, so if you are in Southeastern Michigan and you have a resale store that you frequent, or if you know of a thrifting website (other than just write in the comments the name of the store and any links (if applicable).

Also, let me know any tips or insider secrets I should know since I'm kind of new to the thrifting game.

Happy shopping!

Wishing you love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

Fear will not stop my destiny

Ok, so it's been a while- over 2 months to be exact, since my last post. Real talk, your girl been going through some thangs. Some life changing, decision making, what 's my destiny type of thangs. And although I have yet to make those things final or complete yet, I now have the emotional energy to put my thoughts to good use.

But, today I want to talk about fear. I hate fear. It is a crippling emotion that can either cause you to do stupid things or keep you from reaching your destiny. I've given too much power to fear and I have come to the point in my life where fear is no longer allowed. The funny thing about it is that I saw myself as fearless because I was able to accomplish just about everything I set my mind to. Not realizing that it was because I'm a smart girl and a lot of things come easy to me (not bragging, it just is what it is).

But, when it came to friendships/ relationships with those around me, I was a mess. I'm sure we all have been stabbed in the back and gotten our feelings hurt, but fear of being the fool twice stops us from our full loving/ giving/ nurturing potential and it keeps us guarded from the one thing we want most- love. Now, if this is too deep for you, feel free to move on, but I am a realist and I know that the only way to conquer something is to confront it. I've decided to fight my fears head on.

Don't get me wrong, it's not going to be easy, but anything worth having is worth fighting for. Because I'm a logical person I used to let my head talk my heart out of or into something that I knew was not the best option for me. Why? Because fear would tell me that I would be lonely, or I would miss out or people are fake and they'll just play me. The fear of failure has stopped so many people in their tracks that they are defeated before they even begin and next thing you know, years have passed and nothing has changed. If you not moving up, then what you doing? Waisting time.

The other (if not the most important) reason me and fear are not friends is because acting out of fear makes faith jealous. If I'm something like the Christian I claim to be, then my faith should overcome my fears. But, fear being the old trickster that she is comes in many forms. She can sneak into your mind at the most inappropriate times and come from the mouths of people you love and trust. The best way to deal with her is to recognize her and tell her to go have several seats cause you not dealing with her.

So here's my declaration for myself- fear is a lie and it will not prevent me from reaching my God given destiny. I'm telling fear to kick rocks. I suggest you do the same.

Wishing you love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty

See you next year!

It's the holidays folks, and I am taking a planned and needed hiatus from my blog and probably all social media as a whole for the next 2 weeks. I have some special things planned for the next coming year so I'm taking some time to get my mind right- relax, relate and release.

In the meantime, I will be spending time with my family, eating more than I need to and praising God for the many blessings he has given me this past year. I'm not gonna lie, it has been tough. With the loss of my grandmother, financial burdens and the stress that comes with marriage and children, I have wondered what exactly does it take to get hospitalized for exhaustion, cause I think I'm there. But, with all the ups and downs, there has been the same constants in my life and they have been my family and friends who love me and the God who has never left me.

So while I know that the politically correct thing to say would be "Happy Holidays", I'm going to say with a full fledged heart, Merry Christmas because Jesus is my all and he is definitely the "reason for the season."

I want to leave you with my new favorite Christmas song by CeeLo Green and it's called "Mary Did You Know". I didn't find out until I was researching the lyrics that it is a remake (several times over), but because his version is the first I heard, it is my favorite. And it is the truth.

 The lyrics to this song are so powerful.

"Mary Did You Know"

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know.. Ooo Ooo Ooo

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

With that said, I wish you many blessings, a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and as always,

Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
                                    Rhonda

A Curly Girl Christmas

Now, you know I couldn't forget about my curly girls. It's crunch time and the perfect gift is out there somewhere. So, if you are looking for a gift for that natural girl on your list (yourself included), here are a few ideas to get you started. I had to limit each category to three because I could literally go on forever.

Hair Care:
Ouidad Expert Curl Kit
Sephora- $34



Carol's Daughter Olive Oil Infusion At Home Treatment
carolsdaughter.com- $25
I absolutely love this treatment. I have never been the type to "pre poo", but when I got this (as a gift by the way), I totally became a convert. My hair feels so good and less frizzy after using this.


Deva Curl Trial and Travel Kit
Ulta- $29.95
I haven't tried this yet, but it's definitely on my list. I've heard some good things about Deva Curl.


Hair Tools:
Tangle Teezer
Sally's- $12.99
This is my favorite detangling brush.

Curlformers Styling Kit
Sally's- $69.99
Curlformers are the perfect solution for those who want spiral curls without the heat damage. Learning the hook takes a little work, but once you get the hang of it, you'll have your hair set in no time.

Huetiful Hair Steamer
huetiful.myshopify.com- $109.95
I don't have this yet, but it is a facial steamer and facial steamer in one.


Hair Books:
Thank God I'm Natural by Chris-Tia Donaldson
B&N- $9.99 (ebook)
After reading this book I went from already being natural to wearing my naturally textured hair. It gave me that motivation I needed to accept my hair for what it was.



Better Than Good Hair by Nikki Walton
B&N- $10.98 (pre-order)



Good Hair by Lonnice Bonner
B&N- $9.95


Hair Accessories:
afriquelachic.com

I want these earrings, like yesterday.
There are so many cute finds on this site.

vcreations.biz

Her head wraps are on point. 

ettaflyy.com/shop.html

I have that Lil' Miss Sunkissed shirt for my daughter
and two of the Naturally Flyy shirts for myself.

Natural Hair Subscriptions:
Curlbox- sold out right now, but can be put on waiting list. $20/ Month

Curlkit- $20/ month


Sexy Locks Hair Box from Naturalicious.net
- 30 day natural hair care system $39.99/ a month
Can choose kinky/coily Edition or curly/ wavy edition

Short, sweet and to the point cause it's crunch time now. Holla!

Wishing you Love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

The 6 Steps to Success: Step 3- Affirm

In my last entry, I talked about the It's Not Enough to Dream Women's Circle and how I felt inspired by meeting other women of faith who own their own businesses. It's funny how the keys to success that were mentioned were things that I had already talked about before. But, I decided to revisit them because sometimes I don't truly "get it" until the second time around. It's affirmation time.

I've talked about affirmations before. I believe they work hand in hand with visualization. An affirmation is basically a statement about yourself that you start with "I am" or "I have". It's a way of having positive reinforcement. Here are the ones I wrote from my previous post.

- I am confident.
- I am smart.
- I am beautiful.
- I am determined.
- I have healthy skin and hair.
- I have big beautiful eyes.
- I have a good sense of humor.
- I am giving.
- I am fun.
- I have joy in my heart.

Those were easy because when it comes to myself, I exude confidence. My business sometimes, not so much. Ever since I had to close my Royal Oak location I have been walking a thin line between "I'm going to be alright" and "I'm a failure." I guess I was secretly waiting on validation from people to tell me I was great at what I do. I felt like because I'm not name dropping that I was somehow lacking. What I had to realize is that what I may lack in the want to name drop, I make up for in talent and determination. Plus, I understand the importance of paying my dues. Like they say, slow and steady wins the race.

It gets frustrating sometimes, but it all has to start with me. So we were encouraged to write some affirmations about our business at the It's Not Enough to Dream seminar. And although it took me a couple of days to come up with some really good ones that I truly stand behind, I am proud of them and will always keep them in mind when the road to success gets tough.

- I am mastering my craft.
- I am breaking though my own self-imposed limits to build a profitable business.
- My clients get tremendous value from doing business with me and appreciate my spirit.
- My vision for my business is minuscule in comparison to what God has planned.
- The more I trust my skill, the better my business becomes.
- I am not afraid to ask for help.
- I am not afraid that I will regret saying "no" to a project. What's for me is for me.
- I am a woman of power, purpose and praise.
- I am blessed, talented and committed to my craft.
- I am divinely protected and only great things happen to me.

I don't know about you, but just reading those affirmations makes me feel good. What affirmations have you made lately?

Wishing you love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
                  Rhonda

The 6 steps to success: Step 1- Commit

In my last entry, I talked about the It's Not Enough to Dream Women's Circle and how I felt inspired by meeting other women of faith who own their own businesses. It's funny how the keys to success that were mentioned were things that I had already talked about before. But, I decided to revisit them because sometimes I don't truly "get it" until the second time around. Today we talk about how to commit.

Over the course of my 31 years of life I have dabbled in a few things. When I was in high school and during my first year in college I wanted to act, dance and a sing. "Nothing but death could keep me from it." Or so I thought- I kept my voice to the choir, sat my flat footed and knobby kneed behind down somewhere and decided I didn't want to be a starving artist. Me plus broke equals no fun. Then, I changed my major to journalism so that I could write, do a radio show and possibly be a producer at the news station. I learned that that ladder was harder to climb than I had expected. I was reaching out to a mentor who didn't want to have a mentee. And after graduating I learned how to sew, started writing a novel, made jewelry, started another novel, along with a few songs and some poetry, did skin care, makeup and hair and am currently back to writing for a magazine and currently learning photography. And lets not forget me and my best friends attempt at wedding planning (that was short lived). I thought all that was just pure talent. I mean, I'm an artist at heart. But, what it truly was, was the inability to commit.

Not to sound over confident, but I've always been smart. I have always had the ability to catch on quick with little effort, so I have never really had to work hard or as consistently at something as I have this business. (Except my marriage, but you have to wait for a girls night out to get those juicy details.) So how do you commit? It so simple, but yet so hard for some to do. Just pick something and put your all into it.

The only thing that I can warn you about, because I have done it so many times is that because I am committed to my business and I want it to succeed, I will say yes to everything. During my first year, every product, vendor show or event that I felt I could possibly meet someone to network with I was there. I paid for advertising for several magazines and bought more beauty products than I knew what to do with. Out of all the marketing and promotional things that I did, only 20% of them panned out like I had hoped. Something that the ladies said at the Detroit launch was, "Not every good idea is a God idea." Instead of being so quick to say yes, I ask myself two questions. One, can I afford this and two, will it benefit my business in a way that has never been done before.

For two years I have put my money, time and sanity on the line to see this dream come true. I finally know what it feels like to pick a profession and not only start it, but see it through to the end. Soul Deep Beauty is more than just skin and makeup, it's a beauty business and anything that falls under beauty can be involved. That, my friends is the real beauty in committing yourself to your business- you can make and change the rules as you see fit.

What new business venture will you commit to? Share your story with me here or on my Facebook page @Soul Deep Beauty.

Wishing you love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
                                  Rhonda

Business Spotlight: It's Not Enough to Dream Women's Circle

I am in transition. My business (and personal life) is going through some things that will in the end help me to become a better woman and business owner. During this time I have found it hard to put pen to paper, or in this case, fingers to keyboard. That is, until today.

This month marks the 2 year anniversary of Soul Deep Beauty, and while I couldn't be happier, this shift in my marketing, website, business goals, etc, are kicking my butt. Then, I was invited to attend the Detroit Chapter Launch of a wonderful group, the It's Not Enough to Dream Women's Circle. They are a women's support group and magazine for women of faith who have or are just thinking about starting their own business. Started in 2010 by sisters Adrienne Adams and Bridgette Outten in Chicago, the Detroit chapter presentation was titled "I Came to Win" and will be the fourth city in their ever growing corporation, where they join Chicago, Indianapolis and Milwaukee.

It was a great experience, filled with an overwhelming sense of sisterhood that I walked away from feeling uplifted and inspired. As the women introduced themselves I was comforted in knowing that I wasn't alone and that we all face some sort of struggle when running a business. It felt good to be in a room of like minded women who believe in purpose, power and praise.

Although I have financial obligations that won't allow me to officially join the circle at this time, they definitely have not seen the last of me. They offer business boot camps and other offerings that I want to be a part of and am looking forward to the road ahead. I now know that what I'm lacking in myself right now is confidence and I'm not one who takes or accepts failure easily.

I encourage any woman reading this who has ever had that business or book idea or job opportunity that you wanted to try, to not only consider the possibility but set yourself up to win. I'm getting myself back on track and to prove it, over the next several weeks, I'm going to talk about the six steps to success that Adrienne covered and reflect on how I can improve on each one.

Like I always say, the best is yet to come.

Wishing you love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
                                                Rhonda

Soul Deep Beauty is under construction

This October Soul Deep Beauty will be celebrating it's two year anniversary. Get out the streamers and noise makers cause it's on and poppin! (Sorry). I'm just excited because I did something that three years ago wasn't even a thought in my mind to do. I started a business from the ground up. It may not be exactly were I want it to be, but it it's still going and that's enough for me. That's the good news. The not so good news is that as of Sept. 1st, I will no longer be working out of the Wellness Clinic.

I have decided that it is more economical for me to forgo the rent every month and become a mobile/ on location business because I rarely do work out of the clinic anyway. I want to focus more on my pamper parties and the make-up aspect of the business, so I think that this would be a good move for me.

I have redone just about everything- my website, my online scheduling, and business cards. I even set up a Google Number for my business. So for the next month, I will be in the process of moving and getting myself prepared for the next part of my journey. Wish me luck!

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty.

My new favorite foundation brush

I love this brush. It is a Sonia Kashuk Complexion Perfector. It is part of her Spring/ Summer 2012 line sold at Target for $18.99. I am normally a round sponge applicator girl when it comes to foundation. But, in the effort to make some tiny upgrades I started looking for some new ways to apply my foundation. Also, I was growing tired of buying and storing all those sponges. (They say they are washable, but who has time for all that. I barely wash my brushes on the regular.)


 I bought the Basically U Super Blender Elliptical Sponge at Ulta at $5, it's the cheaper version of the Beauty Blender and it worked, but again, the cleansing process left little to be desired. I don't care for the flat foundation brushes for some reason for applying foundation, although they are great for days when I'm doing a concealer only coverage. I needed something flat and dense. My MAC 130 brush is great, but I always had to follow up with another brush or my fingertips to blend under the eyes or around the edges of my face. Yes, I was being difficult. With 10-15 minutes to get ready for work, I needed a brush that was a one for all. And this week I found it.


We are going through a slight heat wave this week with temps up to 99 degrees, so I have been doing the lightest coverage possible with either my Mary Kay Tinted Moisturizer or Maybelline Mineral Power Liquid Foundation, (which is discontinued I believe but I found it at my local Bed, Bath and Beyond for like $4.) So anyway, I just pour a two chocolate chips sized amount on the brush end, swipe it across my forhead, down my cheeks and across my chin and I go back up and blend. Then I wet the sponge tip a little and do a press and roll motion to blend under my eyes and around the curves of my face if needed. I think I might buy another one for my professional kit ;)

Wishing all my beauty queens
Love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty!