FACE IT!

FACE IT!

Change is so necessary. The seasons change. People change (when they want to). The world changes. Change is the only constant. So no matter what changes you are going through be sure to put your best face forward. My mom always says…no one should be able to tell what you are going through from the way you look. “Groom for the outcome.”

If you read my last post, you already know that I am positioning myself for a grand outcome (you know me…if it ain’t grand, flashy, and femme…I don’t want it). The sacrifice has been just that, a sacrifice but thanks to reassuring words from loved ones I am gracefully accepting the changes (with a few woe is me moments every now and then!).

But enough about me (I could go on for days if you let me LOL), how are we going to get you ready for this changing season?


Ooo Ooo I know, a FACIAL!! Great skin helps you face anything and with the changing weather now is a good time to get your daily regimen in check.

I found this great article by Jen Adkins about getting ready for the fall. Take a look:

http://skincare.about.com/od/skin101/tp/SkinCareTipsForFall.htm

Our pal Jen gives great advice on skin care. The ten steps are great. Here are the ten tips she gives for great fall skin with the Bourgeoisie on a Budget Product match-up. Enjoy!

1.Reassess Your Body Cleanser. - Basically you shouldn’t smell like Summer Rain in the fall. You also need more moisture. TRY: Aveeno Moisturizing Body Wash. It smells great and feels even better. ALSO TRY: markSanctuary…great stuff!

2.Try an Oil-based scrub. Basically, don’t scrub your skin off. Since you probably need it in the winter. TRT: Warm Spirit Body Scrubs (heaven in a jar) ALSO TRY: PlanetSpa Brown Sugar Body Scrub with Shea Butter (Sheba baby!)

3.Moisturize every single day. This really shouldn’t be a rule. I hope you don’t leave your house ashy. TRY: Vaseline with Cocoa Butter. I love it. ALSO TRY: Vaseline Age Renewal. It smells great.

4.Analyze your skin. Your skin type changes with the weather. Duh?! TRY: Neutrogena skin products. They have a great range ALSO TRY: Avon by Shola…There is a feature on the Anew Skincare page that picks skin care products specifically for you and all you do is answer a few questions.

5.Organize your Skincare. Great job with this one Jen! Buying a line of products helps you to organize your skin care. Don’t exfoliate too much! Face masks once a week! TRY: Avon Professional line which is reasonably priced. ALSO TRY: Ambi line of products.

6.Don’t forget Sunscreen. In case you didn’t know the sun doesn’t go away in the fall. TRY: MAC foundation with SPF in it…I heart MAC but I sleep with a PC. J (No really as of late…with all the work that I have been doing…my laptop has been snuggling up next to me at night).

7.Remember Your Feet. There is usually an email that goes around during the spring that warns women (especially) about taking care of their feet before wearing sandals. It’s funny and all but I wonder why wait until spring? Why just women? Usually it’s easy to neglect your feet when they are stuffed in stockings and/or socks but try to avoid it. Save money by maintaining your pedicure at home and going maybe once a month to the salon. Get a sheer polish so that it is easier to maintain (less noticeable chips). Put a pumice stone in the shower. They shouldn’t cost more than a $1 (see your favorite 99 cent store). Well maintained feet = less runs in stockings from sharp toes. Tee hee!

8.Invest in Cuticle Oil. (Running out to get some today!)

9.Ditch the Pastel Polish. TRY: A sheer plum. Plum is the new red…so I hear.

10.Indulge in a New Hand Cream. This tip should read: “Head to Bath & Body Works, savings pass in hand and rack up on Midnight Pomegranate, Japanese Cherry Blossom, and the like” Get the crèmes and body soufflé’s. They also have lots of stuff for the men. Got to love a man with manicured and moisturized hands.

And that is all.

And now for my favorite quote “Love. Live Life. Pro-ceed. Pro-gress.” –Lil Wayne.

I heart you all. I really do. Thanks for reading.

TTFN!

Taking a Step Back in order to Leap Forward

Runners do it. Why can’t I?

I mentioned to you all that I have a background in management and according to my last performance review I’m pretty great at it. There’s just one problem. My extremely organized and logical approach to my work and my other passions (marketing, etc.) does not always translate into other aspects of my life.

Let me give you an example of my latent OCD. I get about 100 emails per day. That’s just the nature of my job. Despite that, my inbox remains clean. Not one email stays in my inbox for over 5-10mins. I triage each email into one of several folders. I then assign it a priority color code. All red items are handled within the hour. Blue Items I am waiting on a response from someone else before I can answer and Orange Items are FMI (just for my information). I archive each week and respond even if it is to say “Report complete.” Or a simple “Confirmed.” This creates a record that I have completed everything that I was supposed to do for this particular case/issue. So in the event (because it happens so often) that I need to provide a status I can type in “confirmed” or “complete” and everything I have done for the week pops up.

I share this with you not for you to laugh at me (although I am sure you are anyway. it’s okay), but to convey that when it comes to work and my passions I am meticulous. And when it comes to everything else, I am completely relaxed.

So what’s the problem you ask?

Finances. My dear Watson. Finances.

I take extreme care with Other People’s Money and I am COMPLETELY relaxed when it comes to large ticket items (car, apartment, etc.). This is part of the reason that I created Bourgeoisie on a Budget. My goal is to continue to live well using less and helping others to do the same. Simply put, I want to eat my cake, save some for later, and sell the rest for a reasonable profit.

These past few weeks, I have seriously examined my expenditures in comparison to my life goals. My findings? I am accepting less, not SERIOUSLY working towards my dream of more, because of my fear of sacrifice. Confused? Let me clarify point by point.

I AM ACCEPTING LESS

Taking anything that is less than your ideal is accepting less. It is okay to do it temporarily but getting caught in the cycle of accepting less than what you really want/need is counterproductive and addictive. (I’m tempted to give relationship advice here but since I do not have the appropriate degree, and it’s completely off subject…I will happily refrain.)

NOT SERIOUSLY WORKING TOWARDS MY GOAL OF MORE

By accepting less, I am not saving towards the more that I require out of life. It’s like buying a closet full of Baker’s when what you really wanted was a pair of Manolo’s. If you would have stopped buying all that Baker’s (or bought one pair) and saved the rest of your income…you probably could have gotten what you initially wanted. (I am not opposed to Baker’s people I just needed a plausible analogy). Furthermore, by limiting yourself to Baker’s and only shopping there… you are not keeping track of you initial goal and you lose the opportunity to get the Manolo’s on sale at Bluefly!

So what’s a girl to do?

Well, first I called my financial advisor (I’m so happy she remembered that I was alive!) and came clean. I told her what my goals were and she promised to help me reach them. I plan to meet with her in two weeks. By then I am supposed to have a fully worked out budget to propose to her. I received in the mail two days after our chat, a wonderful worksheet that will help me put together my budget.

Second, I made a drastic move. Literally, I got rid of my biggest liability (and one of my biggest joys) in order to realize my personal financial goal. While tears, extreme pouting, and worrying were apart of the transition, I knew this was a necessary change that I had to make. If something is not contributing to your goals, it may very well be an obstacle. And if it is an obstacle you need to remove it.

Third, after I finish posting this blog…I am going to research every step it takes to get to my goal. This will serve as my check list to success.

Side Note: Since my drastic move was bound to make some people criticize my decision, I didn’t tell many people. Sometimes a random opinion can keep you from doing what is necessary. An opinion is exactly what it is…nothing more. Sometimes I forget that.

While shopping the other day (don’t worry it was for necessities AND I had a savings pass!), I thought about the Olympics track and field events. I remember watching each runner go through their own funny routine before they got “on their mark”. Every runner did it. Every runner had their own routine and could care less that the world was watching them shake their leg three times, roll their head from side to side, take a step back and then flail their arms front and back. And although, it was funny to watch, no one laughs. No one laughs because the understanding is that the runner is preparing for the race of their life. So who the hell cares what they need to do before hand to get ready for it. All that matters is the success waiting at the end of the race.

Make your sacrifices without others in mind...ALL THAT MATTERS is the success at the end of the race.

TTFN!