The Importance of Family and Friends 2

Halle Berry and her mom.

I’m very fortunate. No I’m not a gazillionare, not even close, but remember money does not bring anyone happiness. I also have amazing family and friends and an amazing man who still after five years, makes me tingle. Two weekends ago I went through a period of down time. Don’t we all go through those, where we ask ourselves if our dreams “can” come true. If maybe we’re just thinking too big and maybe we should just settle with out life as is. This is where the importance of friends and family come along. Because when I had those moments of self-doubt, my mother quickly woke me up. She admonished me for being down, and told me to “get it together.” She told me to make sure that I didn’t even think about settling. She told me as long as she was alive, she would make sure that I followed my dream. Then my friends came, and like my own personal cheerleading squad, told me all the reasons that they believed in me, and my goal and then Mr. DE chimed in. He encouraged my dream too.

EvaLongoria and girlfriends



After those pep talks, I felt back to the old me, and I felt victorious! My friends and family encouraged my dream, believed in my dream, and brought me back to reality. Family & friends are so important. They are everything. Sometimes when we forget our potential, they remind us of it. If you’re going through a period of loneliness or of downtime, please make sure to reach out to a family member or friend. I’m sure they’ll remind you of your abilities. But if you don’t have anyone, then by all means, make sure to e-mail me. Although I get a lot of e-mails, I make sure to spend three hours a day answering all of them. Mommy always says, it’s rude not to answer your mail.

The Smiths (cutest family ever, lol)


Just a few thoughts.

Hugs,

DE

6 Mistakes You May Want to Avoid While in a Relationship



I made a new video. I know it’s not one of the selections I gave you, but I thought it would be a fun one. It’s called "Six mistakes you should try to avoid while in a relationship." I did this video for two reasons. In the past two weeks, three of my good friends have been broken up with, and my male cousin who was the consummate player, who claimed he only dated women that were tens and up just got engaged, and is so in love with his average looking girlfriend it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. My friends had no idea why the guys they were with broke up with them. They claim they did everything to make the relationship work Unfortunately, that sometimes may not be the solution. When I asked my cousin what made his girlfriend different from the others, he told me some very interesting reasons.
These mistakes are a few things that I saw my friends doing, and things that my cousin’s girlfriend apparently never does. He loves the fact that she’s independent. He loves the fact that her life does not revolve around him. That she’s ambitious, and confident. She’s got her own thing going. That sometimes when he calls her, she waits to call him back for a few minutes. During those few minutes, he waits for those calls eagerly. Where as my friends made things way too easy. Remember men are hunters, when something comes too easy it gets boring fast.




Love Yourself First-then you can learn to love others!

As I think of this story this morning, I can’t help but laugh. However, yesterday, this was no laughing matter. Last night, as I was walking with my friend to her house, we spotted one of her neighbors in front of the grocery store. We stopped to chit chat with him for a few moments. All of a sudden, I hear a loud thud. I turn to my friend, and realize she is being attacked. A crazy woman is on top of her beating her with her fist. I grab a hold of this crazy woman and try to stop her from hitting my friend but by this point, she’s begun to attack me. My friends neighbor grabs a hold of the woman’s wrist and attempts so stop her. . I could not believe this was happening. I grab a hold of my friend who is still on the floor.

The neighbor began explaining to us that she was his ex wife, and she’s been stalking him for two years. I watched as he shouted at this woman, calling her a stalker, and a loser, and telling her that he would never ever get back together with her, no matter how much she begged. I watched as she cried, and pleaded with him to take her back, crying to him that she loved him. She was so engrossed in begging for this man’s love, that she forgot all about us. That happened to be one of the saddest and most pathetic things I’ve ever seen. I honestly began to feel bad for her. I asked myself a few questions. What could make a woman be so desperate as to lose her pride and stalk another human being? To approach another woman who she’s never seen before, and just attack her. But the saddest thing and the thing that disturbed me the most, was the way she begged this man to love her. Are you kidding me? Ladies, don’t ever beg any man/woman to love you. You are a gift to anyone, and if they don’t realize it, then find someone who will treasure what you can offer or just stay by yourself, and love you. But please don’t become a crazy stalker, and lose all your self-respect because of another human being. It’s not worth it. You’re better than that. As my friend and I began to walk/run away (DE has never been a fighter), I turned back and watched as the neighbor continued to scream at the woman and call her the most disgusting, and vile things you can call anyone. I watched the pain in her eyes and the tears running down her cheeks as he said those hurtful words, and I looked away, and said a prayer for her because I knew that if this woman could devote her life to loving a man who didn’t love her, then her life is missing love..for herself. Ladies, before you can love anyone, please learn to love you. That is the most important love you can have and it is the only way you can have a healthy relationship with anyone.

You’re a gift. Remember that. And believe me if one person doesn’t appreciate your treasures, a lot of others will.

If you're currently going through a breakup, I would advise this book I reviewed it last year.



Big Hugs,

DE

Things that Make DE go HMMMM?

So apparently a new beauty trend is shaving off your eyebrows or bleaching them completely. When I think of that, I cringe! Do you know how long it took me to find a perfect eyebrow girl, who got my arch exactly the way I wanted it. Years!!!!!!! I would go to countless eyebrow spots around the city, and they would either thread them too thin, or screw my arch up, and then I’d have to spend months re-growing them. I hate when I have to regrow my brows because I end up looking all sloppy like I don’t care about them-the hair growth under the brow just doesn’t look cute. Anyway, after years of searching far and wide for an eyebrow expert I finally found this adorable Indian girl who’s no more than 14 and threads my brows exactly the way I like them. She’s all the way in Queens, but I”ll troop as far as Connecticut to see that little angel. And now they’re telling me that eyebrows aren’t cool. Lol, that’s one trend, I’ll never follow. Tell me, will you be shaving or bleaching your eyebrows? Are trends even that serious to you? They’re really not for me, I’ve been wearing skinny jeans for over 10 years, even when they weren’t cool. It’s what I like! Not what’s in style! What are your thoughts about no eyebrows?

Hugs,

DE

De's favorite couple Will Smith & Jada Pinkett

I work on a popular morning show. (Although I’m in a pretty low position, it’s a step closer to my reporting dream.)Jada Pinkett was on for interview that aired today. The woman is a Goddess. I swear pictures do not do this vision justice. In person she took my breath away. But, I’m not writing because of how stunning she is (that deserves it’s own separate post.) I’m writing because as she was getting interviewed, her husband, mega superstar and one of my favorite actors, Will Smith sat down and watched her dutifully. The way he was gazing at her while she was getting interviewed, was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen . It's insane how you can tell when two people are truly in love. As she spoke to the host, he watched her with so much pride and love in his eyes. It was unbelievable, and all the girls who work on my show, noticed it as well. When she was finished, she walked towards him, and he held her scarf in his hands. He gazed at her sweetly as he placed it slowly across her shoulders (like a real gentleman). He then gave her a big smile as if to say “baby you were great.” She smiled back, and they kissed each other lovingly on the lips. I couldn’t stop staring at them. Their love was so palpable that I could feel it. We all could! Love is so beautiful. Working on my show, we’ve had huge celebrities on, and I never care. (They're regular people just like you and me) but there’s something almost magical about these two. As they left, they were so gracious, and thanked everyone, even the interns. Love always makes me smile and I thought to myself how beautiful it is when you find your other half. When you find the person that stares at you lovingly and with so much pride in their eyes like he did. They had me thinking of a quote that I love that I want to share with you. (You know how much I love my quotes!) "To the world you may be just one person, but to one person, you may be the world. " In the age of so many celebrity divorces, it's refreshing to see a couple that truly loves each other.

Will Smith & Jada Pinkett= De’s New favorite couple.

Who's your favorite celebrity couple?

Hugs,

THINK BIG OR DON'T THINK AT ALL

As you guys know, I’m a huge believer in positive thinking. Negative thoughts lead to nothing but negative experiences but positive thoughts can lead to amazing realities. It’s hard for many people to think positive when they’ve had so many negative experiences. My life hasn’t been always great (it’s still not) but I never allow that to get me down. I know as long as I believe in myself, and in my purpose, everything will come to place. This weekend though, I had a moment of self-doubt. Recent lay-offs in my industry had me really doubting my reporting dream, and left me wondering if maybe I was taking the right path. I started to research “safe” careers like nursing, and wondered if maybe I should stick to that instead. The doubts haunted me for around two hours but then I picked up one of my favorite books.




I read it all over again and realized how valuable this book was to me and of course DE had to share it. Yes the economy is bad, yes all industries are having lay offs but that has nothing to do with your abilities. After finishing this book (for the 20th time) my doubt disappeared immediately. I’m aware of the bad times but I’m also aware of my capabilities, and I know that the belief in myself, and in what I’m able to do, will lead me to find my way in this field. The book has so many powerful passages, that I’d like to share with you.

1) Eliminate the word impossible from your thinking and speaking vocabularies. Impossible is a failure word. The thought “it’s impossible.” sets of a chain reaction of other thoughts to prove you’re right.
2) Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, your mind will find the way to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.
3) Don’t look at your faults and think to yourself, “Here’s another reason I’m a loser.” Instead view them as mistakes and think “Here’s another way to make me a bigger winner.”

This book is one of the most motivational books I’ve ever read (and I’ve read it many times.) Seriously, pick it up. You will love it.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED?

How was your weekend?

Hugs,
DE

Embrace Your Beauty-No Matter How Old You Are!

Halle Ten Years Ago

It's sad, but I believe the media and society have women believing as we get older our sexiness and beauty diminish. Not only that, but we’re also made to feel that wrinkles are abnormal, and we should immediately get rid of them by resorting to some plastic surgery just so that we can keep ourselves looking young and youthful, and sexy. (If you watch Real Housewives of NJ, and saw Danielle getting botox, and lip injections, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.) As a result, many women dread getting older. I’ve never been a fan of many of Halle Berry’s movies (except X-men and Dorothy Daindridge) but lately, I’m paying more attention to her because I like what she represents. No doubt, when you look at her, she takes your breath away. The woman is a vision. She got recognition last year as being the sexiness woman on earth, and I believe this weekend Spike TV gave her an award for 10 years of sexiness. I’m glad that society is starting to recognize that just because a woman gets older, does not mean that she looses her appeal. Halle is in her early forties, and in my opinion looks better than when she was in her thirties. She recently cut her hair, and I was astounded at how breath taking she looked. Halle shows us that although you’re getting older, doesn’t mean you have to give up your sexy crown. Oh and don’t even try to give me the excuse that Halle probably gets the best treatments on earth and that’s why she looks so young, because my Mommie is a great example of a woman who is sixty and looks like she’s in her thirties. You know what mommie does, she takes good care of herself. Love yourself, and know that you can be beautiful at any age, no matter what anyone wants you to believe

Halle this week at the Spike TV Awards



How do you maintain your sexy?

I come home, give myself scalp massages, and facial massage, and I workout every other day. I'm also training right now to run the NYC marathon.


Share your beauty Secrets?

Big Hugs,

DE

What are you doing to make yourself better?

I was hanging out with my friend yesterday. She’s an Ivy League Grad, brilliant, and can’t find a job. She’s depressed miserable, and is feeling sorry for herself. It’s annoying. Yes I said it! It’s annoying. Listen, I’m not an ivy league grad, and yes it’s hard for me to find a job as well but do you think I’m going to cry and wallow in self-pity all day every day like she does. Absolutely not! I’m going to try to make myself better. My friend also refuses to take a job making less than a certain amount. She’s crying, asking herself why didn’t she graduate from something else. All she seems to do is complain, and not make herself better. At first I was coddling her, trying to make her feel better, but it’s been over three months, after a while DE has to say “GET IT TOGETHER!” Yes it’s hard for me to find a job as well (although I just landed one, for a lot less than what I wanted but hey, I’m still waiting to be a reporter so I’ll deal with this until that dream comes true.) But, I refuse to feel sorry for myself. In my time of not working, I went to the library almost every day, took out books on computer programs, and taught myself things. Yes, I taught myself Photoshop, I taught myself advanced editing with final Cut Pro (I’m going to take the test soon to see if I can become certified) and I also taught myself how to write better as a news writer. Make Yourself Better. Stop feeling sorry for yourself! If you’re out of a job like millions of other people, don’t stay home and cry about it and waste valuable time. Do something about it. On my resume, I can now add that I have Advanced editing skills, Advanced photoshop skills, and guess what, I’m still learning. Now I’m learning how to design my own website. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!



Don’t feel Sorry for Yourself! Go to the library and teach yourself things. A friend of mine just got a grant from the US government that allows her to change careers, and pays $2500 for the course. If you want more info, please e-mail me, but DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF. MAKE YOURSELF BETTER! Remember that you control your destiny. DON’T WAIT FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN, MAKE THEM HAPPEN.


Sorry I’m venting.

Winner of the Carol's Daughter Pearls is Beth Shields. Beth, you have two days to send me your address or we'll have to give someone else this gift.


Hugs,

DE

Don't Compare Yourself & Winner Of Jessica Line.

One of the reasons I think there are so many “haters” in this world is because many people feel the need to compare themselves to someone else. If you do that, PLEASE STOP IT RIGHT NOW! The problem with comparing yourself to others is that in your heart you’ll never win because if you are comparing yourself, it’s because you feel that you are lacking something within yourself. I’m here to tell you that everyone has their own path, their own look, their own style, but there’s only one you. Not to sound corny, but this is true. Last week I was hanging with my friend at her house, when her cousin came to visit. I couldn’t believe how beautiful this girl was. Long black curly hair, beautiful bronze skin, full lips, blue green eyes, the girl took my breath away. The funny thing was, she was shocked at how friendly I was to her. She told me that other women usually didn’t like her, and she was embarrassed to say it was because they thought she was prettier than them. That was interesting to me. I don’t ever meet someone and think “Oh my god, she’s prettier than me.” I don’t compare myself. It’s not good for your heart, and definitely not good for your self-worth. But I also don’t do it because I feel good about myself, and you should too. Growing up Mommie would always tell me this, “In life, there is always going to be someone more beautiful than you, more successful than you, smarter than you, but there is only one you and you’re amazing.” Love yourself, accept yourself, and never ever compare yourself to anyone. You have your own path, your own journey in life, your own look (and DE knows you’re a beauty) and comparing yourself to anyone will only drag you down, and turn you into the dreaded word, “hater”. No one likes a Hater. If you feel bad about yourself, do what I do every morning. I wake up and believe me, I don’t wake up looking glamorous. I've got pimple cream all over my face, eye boogers, my hairs a curly crazy mess, but I look in the mirror and say “DE, You’re Beautiful” and then I smile. You’ll be surprised at how good that will make you feel.

Please Love yourself, I do.

Winner of Jessica Cosmetics Spring line is Tracy Mew.

I’m having a new giveaway soon for a fantastic product that has helped a lot with my dark circles.

Big Hugs,

DE

Don't Let the Negativity Get You Down!

Besides talking about Beauty products, the purpose of my blog is to empower women. I feel that instead of being positive towards each other, sometimes women can be incredibly competitive, and not encouraging. I hope that you’ll all share your wonderful experiences here or even with me personally so we can all praise each other.

Yesterday I had a negative experience with someone whom I know is my friend, but I guess she was having a bad day. My friend and I went to dinner and she had asked me if I ever felt bad that I had left my pretty lucrative gig in finance to live in virtual poverty as an aspiring reporter. She kept talking about there was no way I could be happy with how broke I was and how I virtually lived on peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches (which is not true at all, one thing I know how to do is cook delish foods on a budget). For about 5 minutes I allowed her to keep shunning my decisions, and keep telling me that I was a broke dreamer, etc, and then finally when she saw that she wasn’t eliciting a response from me, she stopped, and then I finally answered her. It was interesting because I wasn’t angry at her, but sadder. I realized that she wasn’t a risk taker, and I also realized that although she did have a great paying job, she was miserable and fearful. I told her that after hearing her chastise me, I knew more than ever that my decision to leave my great paying, crappy job to pursue something that I absolutely loved was the best thing I’d ever done. Yes I’m broke (but I also grew up broke and being a little broke never killed anyone) but I’m happy. I’m happy because I know that this dream will come true soon, and although the little jobs that I pursue now to make money aren’t as great paying as my old finance gigs, I’m at peace. I remember when I worked in Finance, and how miserable I felt every morning having to go to that job. I hated it! Now I wake up in absolute harmony! And although there have been a lot of naysayers, I never listen. I keep dreaming, and I hope you guys will too. One of my favorite authors Paulo Coelho has an amazing quote that is my signature on my e-mail. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve; the fear of failure’ and here’s another quote I love “It is never too late to be who you could have been”. Please remember that, and pursue your dreams!

Big Hugs to you!

Have a great weekend.

Perfect Gifts For Your Amore!

I got an e-mail last week from a guy who's girlfriend is a reader of mine, and a beauty lover as well. In addition to three other gifts he’s already gotten her, he wanted to buy her the perfect beauty gift. First of all, I want to say that your girlfriend is so lucky to have such a good guy like you. That is really sweet that you are putting so much thought into her presents! (I sometimes think Mr. DE gets my gifts the night before, lol j/k) Here are some of my personal recs, and girlies if you have recs too, please leave them in the comment section. Let’s help this nice guy out!

THE CLARISONIC- PERSONALIZE IT-FREE ENGRAVING

We reviewed this product before on here and gave it rave reviews. A great thing about it now, is you can actually get it engraved with a personal message. So not only is she getting a top-notch beauty product, but she’ll also see your words of love written on it too.

A Day of Pampering at Her Favorite Spa

When my honeybunn got me a day of beauty at my favorite spa, he was a very happy man for a while. Lol

Tarte Vanity Limited Edition Set

This limited edition palette is loaded with so many products, it’s crazy. 16 brand new eyeshadows, 16 brand new lipglosses, Deluxe lights Mascara, Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess, a Deluxe Luminizer, Four Powder Blushes, Eyelining Brushes, Deluxe Eyeshadow, and eyelining Brushes. This is a MAKEUPLOVERS DREAM.



Beauty Gift Card

A lot of people may think that gift cards are not personal, but I disagree. A gift card allows you to buy anything and everything you want at your favorite spot! Why wouldn’t you love it!

Bag full of Beauty Goodies,

Why not do something very creative and buy a nice bag and give her some of the products we’ve recommended on this site (since she’s a big time reader). From Jan Marini’s serums, Carol’s Daughter scrubs, Sally Hansen or Essie Nail Polishes, Aubrey Honeysuckle conditioner, FHI Flat Iron, Lancome Mascara, NYC Bronzer, and Clarisonic. The list goes on and on.

What do you think he should get his girlfriend?

Help Him out!

Winner of the Carol's Daughter Hair Milk is Shanescia Eddie. Shanescia, you have 2 days to e-mail me or the prize goes to someone else.

Big Hugs,

DE

Things that Make DE go HMMMMMM...

I tend to think of myself as a traditional woman. Mr. DE and I have been together a few years now, and although we are not free from problems, our relationship seems to be pretty strong. (At least I think it is.) This weekend a friend of mine e-mailed me to announce that she was getting engaged. Now this is a friend that I rarely see but because we text, e-mail and instant message so much, I consider her to be one of my closest buddies. After her announcement, I wanted to take her out to dinner so I met up with her at my favorite union square sushi spot, and we began taking about her relationship. I knew she was dating this guy in passing, but I didn’t realize they were serious. She began describing how happy she was, but then she said something that kind of made me feel uncomfortable. Now before I continue, please note, I believe that every relationship should find what works for them, but this was well a little too much for me.. She stated that her man and her had discussed the possibility that he may stray from time to time with other women, but she must not get offended because his heart is with her.

After almost spitting out my eel avocado roll in anger, I asked her why? Why would she accept such conditions? Did she not feel that she was beautiful, successful enough and worth a man that could be 100% faithful to her? She responded with an answer that boggled my mind, she said “DE, wake up, all men cheat. It’s better that he does it in front of me, then behind my back.” Do I believe all men cheat? I have in the past-yes. I grew up with a brother, and around many family members who believe that cheating was a way of life, but I’ve also had many male friends who love and respect their wife and the strong bond that they share, and would never stray or risk loosing that for a pretty face or a sexy booty. As I tried to convince her that she would never be happy knowing that her man was having infidelities, and he would never stop because she had given him the go-ahead, the more and more she resisted, getting angrier every time I spoke. I realized that this was a dead issue, and that if this was what she felt would work for her, then who was I to stop her.? But I left the dinner feeling incredibly uneasy. As a woman, I get constantly hit on (I’m sure all of you hot mamas do as well). Many times the men are incredibly handsome,funny, and successful, but I love Mr. DE, and could never betray him in any shape or form, so my thinking is, if I could control myself and my urges, and say No to a sexy man, why can’t the man I’m with be strong enough to do that as well? Why should I settle for someone who doesn’t believe that I’m worth that respect? I wouldn't and neither should you.

What do you think of this situation?

Do you believe all men cheat?

Remember that people will only treat you the way you allow them to!

Big Hugs,

DE

The Power Of Friendships

Yesterday I got into a big fight with Mr. De. We both said things we didn’t mean and he left our apartment in a huff and I stayed home livid. After about five minutes, I called one of my close friends, and by the end of the conversation, we were both in tears laughing. She was telling me funny stories and when I hung up the phone, my anger had completely subsided, and I was in a great mood. At that moment, I realized how important friendships are. It’s amazing the power of a good friend. I was furious yesterday and my friend did everything in her power to make me feel better, and words can’t express how much I appreciate it. Friends are the best ingredient in this recipe we call life. Don't you agree?


Here are some famous friends:

Gayle and Oprah



Drew and Cameron Diaz



Jlo and Leah Reminni


Not so Famous-Me and my homegirl Raven (another aspiring reporter)



Do you value friendships?

Tell me a little about your friends?

Have a great weekend loves!

Hugs,

DE

How Deep is Your Love?

I was hanging out with my favorite couple around 3 days ago, and seriously, I can’t get over how cute these two are. They’ve been together for 23 years, have 2 kids, and genuinely love being around each other. I asked them what their secret was for being together so long and not wanting to kill each other. They told me that laughter is their secret-even after so long, they can still laugh together and make each other laugh. Here are some other great couples that look like laughter is their secret too:


The Obama Team ( Married 16 years)


Team Lopez (Married 4 years)


B and J (Married less than a year-together for over 5)


Ellen and Portia (Married less than a year-together for 4)



What’s your secret to long lasting love?

Do you think there is a secret?

Have a great weekend loves.


Hugs,
DE

YOU BETTER WORK!

I can’t stress to you hot mamas the importance of working out. When I was a little Dominican Enigma, I was never active and always felt sluggish, and just exhausted. For the past three years though, I have been pretty consistent with my work outs, to the point where if I don’t work out, I don’t’ feel so great. I try to run at least two miles a day. Working out is so beneficial for your health and your overall beauty. You’ll find by working out, your body will feel so much better. You will have a lot more energy and your health will improve and you’ll look a lot younger than your age. Also you’ll feel better. When you work out your brain releases endorphins which cause you to feel a natural high and studies have shown that working out has a lot of the same therapeutic effects as a therapy session. One thing DE can’t stand is laziness. Motivate yourself! Go to the gym or just workout at home by doing some jumping jacks, squats (you’ll give yourself a nice shaped butt doing those) sit-ups, and lunges.

Here’s Jennifer Lopez working out



Beyonce works out 6 days a week. Can’t you tell?



Do you workout?


Hugs,

DE

Are You Following Your Dreams?

I remember when I was growing up. Mommy and I would love to go to the Macys on 34th Street in Manhattan and go directly to the Estee Lauder Counters. Mommy' signature fragrance was Estee Lauder’s Beautiful and she always had over 5 bottles of the stuff at a time. She also only used Estee Lauder make-up and skin care products. (Mommy and I love supporting women businesses). So it’s so amazing to me that twenty years later, I would get the opportunity (due to Total Beauty) to go and visit the Estee Lauder Headquarters, including her office:



I even got to sit in her chair! It was a fantastic experience and I’d like to thank Total Beauty for that from the bottom of my heart. But another thing I want to tell you is an inspiring story that we heard about Estee.

When Estee was first starting her line, she tried desperately to get her products sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, but they kept rejecting her, telling her that her line was way too small for them to carry. This incredibly savvy woman never gave up, and one day she had an idea! She went into Saks and “by accident” dropped a bottle of one of her fragrances on the floor. The glass shattered, and the delicious aroma filled the store.
That day thousands of people asked Saks where they could buy that fragrance and the next day Saks begged Estee to allow them to carry her line. What an amazing story! And what an amazing woman! Estee reminds me so much of mommy because mommy never gives up either. She never allows anyone to tell her no and she raised me with the same beliefs. So in honor of Estee, and mommy, I’m giving away a bottle of mommy's favorite Estee fragrance, Beautiful.



Just send an email to Beautylogicblog@yahoo.com with the subject, “DE, I am making all my dreams come true. Send me Beautiful."Winner gets announced on Monday September 29, 2008.

I also want to remind you to please never listen to those who tell you that you can’t do something. You can do anything and everything you put your mind to! Never give up on your dreams; I’ve never given up on mine.



life is so random.

How are you following your dreams?

Do you have an inspirational story for us?

Have a great weekend loves!

Hugs,

DE

Just Believe and You'll Succeed

I have a friend who I grew up with back in South Jamaica who is blind. But nothing ever seemed to stop her. She was always in the top of her classes, and now at almost 30, she’s already completed her PHD and is working at an incredible company. I always admired her tenacity and wondered how this girl did so well in school, when it was so incredibly difficult for her. Anyway, I’ll go back to Chioma (that was her name) in a few minutes, but I wanted to let you girlies know about a book that changed my life. I remember around three years ago when the book The Secret became a huge best seller, and when Oprah recommended it, that solidified all the accolades to me and I ran out to buy it. (I’m an Oprah stan big time. ) But after reading it, I was so disappointed. Everything that she’d written, I had read a long time ago by an author named Napoleon Hill in his book titled Think and Grow Rich.



This has to be one of my favorite books. The book was written back in 1937 and is the bestselling success book of all time. Mr. Hill worked with some of the most successful men of our time to find out what their secrets were (Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, Edison, etc etc) and they were all in agreement-the only way to succeed is to truly believe you will. There was never any room in their mind for doubt. And when they failed, they tried again, much harder. Mr. Hill writes a very sad story about how his son was born without ears and the Doctor’s told him that his son would never be able to do anything because of his deformity. Well Mr. Hill chose not to believe them and he spoke to his son every day, figuring out ways that his son could hear him and festered in him the drive to succeed. His son ended up becoming a huge success. He writes, “Bethoven was deaf, Milton was blind but their names will last as long as time endures, because they dreamed and translated their dreams into organized thoughts.” And another amazing quote is “Remember, no more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty.”

I asked Chioma recently about her upbringing and she told me that her mother always told her that just because she was blind, didn’t mean she had any excuse not to succeed. Her mom told her everyday that there was no room for failure and Chioma believed that. I take the lessons from Think and Grow Rich everywhere I go. “Our only limitations are those we set up in our mind.”

Have you read this book?

Do you have a great guide book for us?



Hugs,

Being a B.i.t.c.h isn't a Bad Thing

So as I wrote before, four of my good girlfriends are going through a break-up. Yesterday I took one of them out to lunch and we evaluated her situation. “Liza” (I’ve changed her name) is a stunning, girl, 27, a professional at a major magazine, incredibly sweet & loyal, but she’s also been broken up with by every guy she’s been with. I forgot to mention Liza’s girlfriend Tanzy was with us. Every guy Tanzy has been with has asked her to marry them. She’s in a great relationship right now but all of her exes are begging her to take them back. So Tanzy and I were asking Liza, what is it that she thinks goes wrong in her relationships. Liza’s first response was, “I don’t know. I cook, clean, do their laundry; call them all the time to make sure they’re good." Tanzy and I gave Liza a look of sheer horror. I love my boyfriend to death, but Good God Almighty! I can’t even picture myself calling the man more than twice a day, (and even that’s too much!). I have way too much stuff to do during the day to have that many conversations with him. Doing his laundry and cooking, well that started after I knew he was “THE ONE.” And shoot, I only do that sometimes. (But that’s what works for me!) I realized that Liza might be making some mistakes, and I recommended a book that I'd read a while back.

Now I think this is a must-read for all ladies. I actually found this book on the subway around three years ago, and have since then loaned it to many friends. The book is written by Sherry Argov, who happens to be a comedienne. It is an incredibly humorous read that delivers a real message: Giving up your individuality for any man is not only unhealthy for you but it’s also a huge turn off for the man you’re with. Also overcompensating by doing way too much too soon or being too needy is a no-no!

I asked Tanzy about her relationship. Tanzy told me that when she first met her boyfriend, she treated him like she treated every other friend. She never waited for his call and when he did call, if she was free, she would pick up. If she wasn’t free, he would have to wait until she was available to hear from her. Sometimes it was a few minutes other times it was a few days. She hung out with her friends and would never break a date with them for a man (I really dislike when my friends forget they have friends once they have a boyfriend). Now three years later, her relationship is a lot closer but the bottom line is, both Tanzy and her boyfriend have lives together but separate lives as well and they are both crazy in love. She did not stop her life for her boyfriend, and that’s the basic message of this book. Also, Tanzy is incredibly secure about herself, and Liza is not. Liza constantly talks about the lipo she wants to get, yet Tanzy is way heavier than Liza, and thinks she’s God’s gift to the world. The book makes a valid point about that. “It is the attitude about yourself that a man will adopt.” And “Act like a prize and you’ll turn him into a believer.” If you know a woman who constantly gets broken up with, or who would cook a 6 course meal for a guy she shared glances with on the subway, then pass along this book. It may change her life and turn her into a Bitch= Being In Total Control of Herself.

Are you in a relationship? How do you keep it kicking?
Any words of advice for our readers?

Hugs as Always,

DE