Pretty Things: My Winter Beauty Arsenal for Smooth Skin

Hello Beautiful Ones! I have vowed to myself that this winter I will not let my skin get all scaly and stubbly and dry. I will not put lotion just on the skin that is showing. I will not walk around with ashy hands and dry cuticles. I will be soft and supple and smooth! I wanted to share with you all a few of the products I'm using to keep my skin moisturized and touchable without breaking the bank. 1. Amlactin - This is hands down my beauty find of the year. Amlactin Moisturizing Body Lotion contains an alpha-hydroxy acid (12%) that exfoliates and moisturizes very dry skin. It's recommended for the treatment of Keratosis Pilaris,...

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Be All the Things You Want in Your Mate

I hear a lot about women who have extensive lists of attributes, physical qualities and material possessions that they wish to find in a mate. The thing that strikes me most about some of these lists is that the women writing them do not themselves possess ALL the things they’ve listed, yet they expect someone else to come into their life that does. There’s nothing wrong with calling in the things that you want—in fact, it is necessary that you do think and speak the things you desire into existence. But speaking abundance into someone else’s life, hoping they’ll bring it around to share with you to help you to be complete is not quite the...

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Love Notes - Friday 11/25/11

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A Season of Thanks: What We Are Grateful For

via We are so grateful for.... Kim This year has been a season of receiving for me: a new home, a brand new vehicle, a new relationship with an amazing man, and new career & business opportunities. And I am so grateful for it all. It has been overwhelming (in a good way) to see everything that I prayed, visualized and work so hard toward come to fruition. This season of receiving has been proof for me that faith, patience and gratitude for your current circumstances all work in tandem to bring more good into your life in your future. And through all of these new experiences, I give thanks for those things that have remained...

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When the Thanks Don’t Come Easy: 4 Reasons to Give Thanks In the Midst of Hard Times

via Pinterest Balance is everything.  In order to have peace of mind, we must let go and allow ourselves to accept everything that life has to offer - the ups and the downs - without judgement.   Highs come with lows, mistakes come with success and pleasure comes with pain.  As we live through the extremes that create balance, we learn to ride the waves.  We don't get to choose balance, it's divinely a part of this life. Our choice is whether we accept it or fight against it.  When we look for meaning in the unpleasant and uncomfortable things that happen in our lives, we learn to embrace a consistent energy...

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Love Notes - Friday 11/18/11

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"Find Your Truth" Series - Part II

Last week, we introduced our "Find Your Truth" series as a means of discovery through shared experience: the experience of finding out what remains or becomes true for each of us as we grow older, more mature, and have more life experience. We consulted some wonderful and brilliant women to discover what they have found to be their personal truths as they have worked to become the people they are today. Through the sharing of their humorous, intelligent and insightful answers, we hope that you’ll begin to discover some truths of your own. In the second post of the series, Adriene shares what she finds to be true about several facets of life,...

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Black Girls Who Rock: 3 Bloggers You Should Know

    I was reading one of my various hair and beauty blogs awhile back and someone commented on how there are so few blogs by black women that are focused on inner beauty and personal development. Huh?! (in my best Kanye West voice) That comment reminded me that there is still a huge audience that we have yet to reach.  And when I say we, I mean Kim and I, as well as all the other positive black women out there who are passionate about uplifting each other.   As I watched Black Girls Rock last week, I was so proud of our blog and so thankful for any positive impact that we may have on our readers. ...

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3 Ways to Drink to Your Health

There are tons of ways to ensure you’re taking in the amount of vitamins your body needs, and one of my favorite methods of vitamin intake is to drink them. It cuts down on the amount of pills to swallow, you can conquer your hunger without feeling the heaviness we sometimes experience after a meal, and liquids are easier to take with you on-the-go. Here are three ways to drink to your health. Hot or Cold Tea In addition to being a comfort beverage, many teas have healing properties*. White tea is high in antioxidants, is said to support healthy skin and detoxification, and has very little caffeine (about 1% of that in a cup of coffee)....

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Shea Radiance Aha Moment Competition

We recently learned about the Shea Radiance Aha Moment Competition, and we were thrilled about it for a few reasons: 1. If you've been reading this blog long enough, or you have read our "About" page, then you know all about our "aha moments" in regards to self-transformation (you can read the original post here ), and that the sharing of such stories fits right into our mission here at PLPT.  2. GG and I both have natural hair, and we have each posted our transition stories here at PLPT (you can read GG's here and mine here). 3. We want to enter and score those yummy products! We are not involved with...

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Love Note - Friday 11/11/11

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“Find Your Truth” Series - Part I

As we grow older, more mature, and have more life experience, our perceptions of the world, and of our selves, begin to change; and in essence, our “truths” change. What does this mean? It means that we start to have a different understanding of life than we may have had 5 or 10 years prior; what we believed to be true in our teens changes in our 20s. What we believed to be true in our 20s changes in our 30s. And so, we rely on this new wisdom—our “truths”—as we navigate life, with all its struggles, on our personal journeys. It feels good to release an old way of thinking, and to move forward with an open heart and mind. Sometimes it’s scary...

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PLPT Reading List - November

Read A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle It isn’t often that I read a book that completely transforms the way I view myself and the Universe as a whole, but A New Earth was that kind of book for me: illuminating, enlightening and “truth” shattering. In this book, author Eckhart Tolle clearly explains how to silence the human ego, a source of suffering and pain; and how to learn to live in a state of “being” as opposed to “acting” on the ego’s behalf. Metaphors, by way of example, help to clarify the narrative in a way that is accessible to everyone. It took a while for me to complete the book, since I would go back over passages to ensure I had a...

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Why I Love Being a Mom but Don't Like Parenting

I have recently come to the conclusion that I don't like parenting.  My partner and I have three children and I love being a mom – supporting my children, protecting them and showering them with affection. But I have to admit that I don’t like parenting. In this context, I’m talking about parenting in terms of issuing rules and regulations, constantly lecturing and berating, and instilling fear in them to control their behavior. I don’t like it, it drains me and quite honestly I wish I could delegate it to someone else. I wish I could just let my kids be who they are without having to restrain them, but I realize that they need...

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Love Notes - Friday 11/4/11

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Pretty Things: Lovely Links for Style and Beauty Inspiration

"There is no law that says that a person of inner beauty cannot also maintain an appearance." ~Robert Brault As much as we love everything about peace and love and personal growth, we also love PRETTY THINGS. We believe it's important to take care of yourself inside and out -- and to the extent that you can control your environment; your surroundings should also be beautiful and reflect who you are inside. We love the following blogs for the daily fashion, style and beauty inspiration that they provide.  Always true to our ethos, we also love these blogs for their focus on self-fulfillment, expression and creativity. The...

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